The Last Great Prophecy
by Starkid Rocks
Summary: This takes place right after "The Son of Neptune", when the kids from Camp Half-Blood land. The Romans want to know more about the Titan War from the Greeks' perspective, so they read "The Last Olympian".
1. Reunited

**Hello everyone to my first Fanfiction ever! I'll hopefully be able to update weekly, but maybe not at times. And yes, I own PJO and HOO…in my dreams, at least… Also, I'm best friends with a bear named Carlos! Criticism is appreciated, but no need to be rude.**

(Third Person POV)

Percy, Frank, and Hazel stepped out of the Senate building, following behind the terrified centurions and Reyna.

"So, what are your friends like?" Hazel asked, scooping up an emerald the size of a baseball off the street.

Thinking for a moment, Percy was about to answer when the three heard a yell up ahead. Racing ahead, they found that the scream came from Terminus, who looked like he'd seen a ghost that wasn't from the Legion.

"That ship has broken…so…many…rules," moaned the OCD border god. "When I get my hands on those rule flouters, I'll—I'll—"

"Whoa, Terminus," Percy said quickly. "Can you _not_ kill them? They're kind of my friends."

Hazel and Frank nodded their heads behind Percy, hoping the god won't blast Camp Half- Blood out of the sky.

After a few moments, Terminus cried out, "Well, why didn't you say so? I would never destroy friends of yours, Praetor Jackson!"

The three quickly said their thanks and rushed over to the Fields of Mars. They were just in time to see a girl get out of the warship. Three others were standing in a row, Octavian yelling at them and calling them spies.

(Percy POV)

I felt my heart leap to my throat when I saw a girl with curly blonde hair and stormy gray eyes exit the ship. "Annabeth…" I said quietly.

She was definitely way more beautiful than I last remembered. Mentally shaking myself, I stalked over to Octavian.

"Octavian! You have no right to make false accusations!"

Sneering, he replied, "Whatever you say, _praetor_."

Watching him walk back into the crowd, I didn't brace myself when something rammed into me from the front. I held onto Annabeth as she shook a little in my arms.

"Percy…" she sighed, sounding extremely relieved.

"Hey, don't cry," I murmured, pulling her chin up to look at me. "You know I would never forget you, right?"

Nodding her head slightly, Annabeth beamed at me and said, "Thank the gods you're okay, Seaweed Brain."

Smiling, I leaned in and kissed her, which felt like it lasted for hours, though it was probably only a couple seconds. Breaking apart, Annabeth held my hand and we turned to look at the others.

"Romans, return to your activities," Reyna ordered.

Motioning to the rest of us, we followed her to the Via Praetoria. I had to partially drag Annabeth to Reyna's office, since she was gaping at the buildings. Once everyone was inside, Reyna shut the door and motioned for us to sit in the chairs placed in front of her desk.

"I want everyone to say their names and godly heritage," she ordered, standing up. "I am Reyna, daughter of Bellona, praetor of Camp Jupiter."

I then stood and said calmly, "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, praetor of Camp Jupiter, hero of Olympus."

The blonde guy sitting the farthest away from me then stood and announced, "Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, ex-praetor of Camp Jupiter." I couldn't help but feel a little guilty about taking his title.

A pretty girl with short, chocolate-brown hair and kaleidoscope eyes stood uneasily: "Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite."

The guy from the video message, the one who looked like Hazel's ex-boyfriend, gave crooked grin and said dramatically, "The name's Valdez, Leo Valdez. Son of the awesomest god, Hephaestus! "

Laughing a little, Annabeth rose: "I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, hero of Olympus, and architect of Olympus." I gave her a proud look, and she blushed.

Frank and Hazel said their parentage and sat, the room becoming uncomfortably quiet.

Clearing her throat, Reyna picked up a book that was sitting on her desk.

"Ever since Percy said that your camp defended Mount Olympus during the Titan War, I wanted to learn more. When I arrived into my office this morning, I found this book sitting on my desk. It' called Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian. I believe we should read this aloud.

I paled a bit at the thought of everyone reading my thoughts aloud. Seeing my expression, everyone started laughing. Chuckling, Annabeth kissed my cheek and said wryly, "It's gonna be interesting to see what's going on in that kelp head of yours, Seaweed Brain."

Rolling my eyes, I groaned, "Let's get this over with. Reyna, can you start?"

Nodding, she opened the book.


	2. AN

***Hides behind Ares camper*** Uh, hi everyone, sorry I've been dead for so long, I've been really busy with school. I'm so surprised by all the alerts, favorites, and reviews and I just want to apologize for not updating like a planned. I promise that when I'm out of school, I'll be updating ASAP, which will be around June 7th. Once again, thanks for sitting through this loooong A/N. Bless your faces, Peace Off!


	3. I go Cruising with Explosives

Reyna frowned when she turned to the first chapter.

"I go Cruising with Explosives?" she read, looking extremely confused along with the other Romans.

Annabeth remembered exactly what had happened, the mission Percy and Charlie practiced for most of the summer. Sighing, she glanced at Percy and gave him a small smile. He got over the initial embarrassment, and told Reyna, "It'll explain what's going on."

**The end of the world started when a Pegasus landed on the hood of my car.**

Leo looked horrified. "What model car was that? A perfectly good car getting crushed under a Pegasus filled with sugar cubes!"

Piper sighed. "Leo, be quiet." His mouth instantly shut as he clawed at it.

**Up until then, I was having a great afternoon. Technically I wasn't supposed to be driving because I wouldn't turn sixteen for another week, but my mom and my stepdad, Paul, Took my friend Rachel and me to this private stretch of beach on the South Shore, and Paul let us borrow his Prius for a short spin.**

"Don't worry Leo, it's just a Prius," Percy said, smiling at Leo's relieved look.

"That is irresponsible, isn't it?" Reyna input.

**Now, I know you're thinking, **_**Wow, that was really irresponsible, blah, blah, blah,**_

Hazel started laughing, but quickly shut up after receiving a death glare via Reyna.

**but Paul knows me pretty well. He's seen me slice up demons and leap out of exploding school buildings, so he probably figured taking a car a few hundred yards wasn't exactly the most dangerous thing I'd ever done. **

"Got that right," everyone but Jason, Leo, and Piper agreed, making Percy shrink a little in his seat.

**Anyway, Rachel and I were driving along. It was a hot August day. Rachel's red hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a white blouse over her swimsuit. I'd never seen her in anything but ratty T-shirts and paint-splattered jeans before, and she looked like a million golden drachmas.**

"A million golden drachmas, huh?" Annabeth said, turning to look at a now red-faced Percy.

"Uh, well…I, uh… She doesn't look as amazing as you?" he stuttered, bracing for a punch.

"You know I'm just messing with you, right?"

"Ya… sure I did."

"**Oh, pull up right there!" she told me.**

**We parked on a ridge overlooking the Atlantic. The sea is always one of my favorite places, but today it was especially nice—glittery green and smooth as glass, as though my dad was keeping it calm just for us.**

**My dad, by the way, is Poseidon. He can do stuff like that.**

"Well no duh," Frank said, smirking.

"Just love to show off, don't you?" Piper said wryly, laughing with the others.

"**So." Rachel smiled at me, "About that invitation."**

"**Oh… right." I tried to sound excited. I mean, she'd asked me to her family's vacation house on St. Thomas for three days. I didn't get a lot of offers like that. My family's idea of a fancy vacation was a weekend in a rundown cabin on Long Island with some movie rentals and a couple of frozen pizzas, and here Rachel's folks were willing to let me tag along to the Caribbean.**

"Sounds nice," Jason noted, feeling sort of left out from the others.

**Besides, I seriously needed a vacation. This summer had been the hardest of my life. The idea of taking a break even for a few days was really tempting.**

**Still, something big was supposed to go down any day now. I was "on call" for a mission. Even worse, next week was my birthday. There was this prophecy that said when I turn sixteen, bad things would happen.**

"Ya, that still freaks me out time after time," Annabeth said, frowning. Percy held her hand below the desk.

"**Percy," she said, "I know the timing is bad. But it's always bad for you, right?"**

**She had a point.**

"**I really want to go," I promised. "It's just—"**

"**The war."**

**I nodded. I didn't feel like talking about it, but Rachel knew. Unlike most mortals, she could see through the Mist—the veil that distorts human vision. She'd seen monsters. She'd met some of the other demigods who were fighting the Titans and their allies. She'd even been there last summer when the chopped-up Lord Kronos rose out of hid coffin in a terrible new form, and she'd earned my permanent respect by nailing him in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush.**

Jason looked impressed. "Rachel actually did that?"

"Yep," Percy responded.

"That is so totally awesome! Rachel just became ten times cooler," Leo said, Piper's charm speaking worn off.

"Who's Rachel?" Frank asked.

"It'll be explained later on," Percy promised, smiling.

**She put her hand on my arm. "Just think about it, okay? We don't leave for a couple of days. My dad…" Her voice faltered.**

"**Is he giving you a hard time?" I asked.**

**Rachel shook her head in disgust. "He's trying to be **_**nice**_** to me, which is almost worse. He wants me to go to Clarion Ladies Academy in the fall."**

"I still can't get used to seeing Rachel in a uniform," Annabeth said.

"**The school where your mom went?"**

"**It's a stupid finishing school for society girls, all the way in New Hampshire. Can you see me in a finishing school?"**

**I had to admit the idea sounded pretty dumb. Rachel was into urban arts projects and feeding the homeless and going to protest rallies to "Save the Endangered Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker" and stuff like that. I'd never seen her wear a dress. It was hard to imagine her learning to be a socialite.**

"Great minds think alike," Percy joked. Annabeth scowled and punched him in the shoulder. "Ouch."

**She sighed. "He thinks that if he does a bunch of nice stuff for me, I'll feel guilty and give in."**

"**Which is why he agreed to let me come with you guys on vacation?"**

"**Yes… but Percy you'd be doing me a huge favor. It would be so much better if you were with us. Besides, there's something I wanted to talk–" She stopped abruptly.**

"**Something you wanted to talk about?" I asked. "You mean… so serious that we'd have to go to St. Thomas to talk about it?"**

"I wonder what it is?" Reyna thought aloud, mystified.

"Ya, it's got to be related to the battle later on," Jason guessed. He heard the story of the Battle, but Rachel never said what she did during the ordeal.

**She pursed her lips. "Look, just forget it for now. Let's pretend we're a couple of normal people. We're out for a drive, and we're watching the ocean, and it's nice to be together."**

**I could tell something was bothering her, but she put on a brave smile. The sunlight made her hair look like fire.**

"Like redheads, huh?" Leo said, messing with some pipe cleaners and some stolen washers. Percy glared at him. Looking up, Leo's face grew red as he said, "I'm guessing I said that out loud, huh?"

Percy looked at Piper. "You mind shutting Leo up again?"

**We'd spent a lot of time together this summer. I hadn't exactly planned it that way, but the more serious things got at camp, the more I found myself needing to call up Rachel and get away, just for some breathing room. I needed to remind myself that the mortal world was still out there, away from all the monsters using me as their personal punching bag.**

Everyone laughed, seeing a mental image of that.

"**Okay," I said. "Just a normal afternoon and two normal people."**

**She nodded. "And so… hypothetically, if these two people liked each other, what would it take to get the stupid guy to kiss the girl, huh?"**

Annabeth sighed, but kept quiet. She felt a little bit of her old jealousy, even if Rachel was her friend now.

"**Oh…" I felt like one of Apollo's sacred cows – slow, dumb, and bright red. "Um…"**

Frank had a contemplative look on his face. "I should try turning into that to see how you looked…" Hazel laughed a little.

**I can't pretend that I hadn't thought about Rachel. She was so much easier to be around than… well, some other girls I knew. I didn't have to work hard, or watch what I said, or rack my brain trying to figure out what she was thinking. Rachel didn't hide much. She let you know how she felt.**

Annabeth snorted. "Glad you think so highly of me."

Percy sighed. "Sorry, but you were kinda like an emotional rollercoaster back then. Not anymore though," he added.

**I'm not sure what I would have done next – but I was so distracted, I didn't notice the huge black form swooping down from the sky until four hooves landed on the hood of the Prius with a **_**WUMP–WUMP–CRUNCH**_**.**

_**Hey boss,**_** a voice said in my head, **_**nice car!**_

Reyna looked surprised. "You have a pegasus?"

Percy, the other Greek campers, and Jason nodded. "There's a stable for them and a Pegasus riding class," Jason explained.

"That sounds amazing," Hazel sighed.

**Blackjack the Pegasus was an old friend of mine, so I tried not to get to annoyed by the craters he'd just put in the hood; but I didn't think my stepdad would be real stoked.**

"**Blackjack," I sighed, "What are you–"**

**Then, I saw who was riding on his back, and I knew my day was about to get a lot more complicated.**

"Like it wasn't already? You were already trying to figure out Rachel's problem," Frank pointed out.

"**Sup, Percy."**

**Charles Beckendorf, senior counselor for the Hephaestus cabin, would make most monsters cry for their mommies. He was huge, with ripped muscles from working on the forges every summer, two years older than me, and one of the camps best armorsmiths. He made some seriously ingenious mechanical stuff. A month before, he'd rigged a Greek firebomb in the bathroom of a tour bus that was carrying a bunch of monsters across the country. The explosion took out a whole legion of Kronos's evil meanies as soon as the firs harpy went **_**flush**_**.**

"Good plan, seems like he was really skilled," Jason said quietly.

**Beckendorf was dressed for combat. He wore a bronze breastplate and a war helm with black camo pants and a sword strapped to his side. His explosives bag was slung over his shoulder.**

"**Time?" I asked.**

**He nodded grimly.**

"That Beckendorf guy sounds awesome. How did he die? Oh wait, it'll be explained later on I'm guessing," Leo said, messing with the robotic insect he just made.

**A clump formed in my throat. I'd known this was happen. We'd been planning it for week, but I'd half hoped it would never happen. **

**Rachel looked up at Beckendorf. "Hi."**

"**Oh, hey. I'm Beckendorf. You must be Rachel. Percy's told me… uh, he mentioned you."**

Percy groaned. _He just needed to say that, didn't he?_

**Rachel raised and eyebrow. "Really? Good." She glanced at Blackjack, who was clopping his hooves against the hood of the Prius. "So I guess you guys have to go save the world now."**

"**Pretty much," Beckendorf agreed.**

**I looked at Rachel helplessly. "Would you tell my mom–"**

"**I'll tell her. I'm sure she's used to it. And I'll explain to Paul about the hood."**

"Rachel's always watching your back, huh?" Hazel said, glancing at Percy.

"Ya, she thinks I'm a troublemaker."

"Actually, you _are _a loose canon," Annabeth smirked.

**I nodded my thanks. I figured this would be the last time Paul loaned me his car.**

"**Good luck," Rachel kissed me before I could even react. "Now get going, half-blood. Go kill some monsters for me."**

"Oh, so you two kissed?" Annabeth let go of Percy's hand.

"Gods, can I just go into a coma or something now?"

Annabeth laughed: "It's fun to mess with you again. I missed that."

**My last view of her was sitting in the shotgun seat of the Prius, her arms crossed, watching as Blackjack circled higher and higher, carrying Beckendorf and me into the sky. I wondered what Rachel wanted to talk to me about, and whether I would live long enough to find out.**

"You're so positive," Hazel noted.

"**So," Beckendorf said, "I'm guessing you don't want me to mention that little scene to Annabeth."**

"**Oh gods," I muttered, "Don't even think about it."**

"Looks like I did find out anyway."

**Beckendorf chuckled, and together we soared out over the Atlantic.**

**It was almost dark by the time we spotted our target. The **_**Princess Andromeda**_** glowed on the horizon–a huge cruise ship lit up in yellow and white. **

**From a distance, you'd think it was just a party ship, not the headquarters for the Titan lord. **

Frank frowned. "It seems kind of obvious of a lair."

Percy shrugged. "I guess he had a thing for showing off I guess."

**Then, as you got closer, you might notice the giant figurehead–a dark-haired maiden in a chiton, wrapped in chains with a look of horror on her face, as if she could smell the stench of all the monsters she was being forced to carry.**

**Seeing the ship again twisted my stomach in knots. I'd almost died twice on the **_**Princess Andromeda**_**. Now it was headed for New York.**

"**You know what to do?" Beckendorf yelled over the wind.**

**I nodded. We'd done dry runs at the dockyards in New Jersey, using abandoned ships as our targets. I knew how little time we would have. But I also knew this was our best chance to end Kronos's invasion before it ever started.**

Reyna looked surprised. "That's actually a good plan."

Percy frowned. "I can have good ideas sometimes."

"Ya, but they always end up failing or having a different outcome," Annabeth noted. Percy just sighed as she leaned over and bumped her shoulder into his.

"**Blackjack," I said, "Set us down on the lowest stern deck.**

_**Gotcha, boss,**_** he said. **_**Man, I hate seeing that boat**_**.**

**Three years ago, Blackjack had been enslaved on the **_**Princess Andromeda **_**until he'd escaped with a little help from my friends and me. I figured he'd rather have his mane braided like My Little Pony than be back here again.**

Everyone laughed at that, the tension relaxing for a little.

"**Don't wait for us," I told him.**

_**But boss**_**–**

"**Trust me," I said, "We'll get out by ourselves."**

**Blackjack folded his wings and plummeted toward the boat like a black comet. The wind whistled in my ears. I saw monsters patrolling the upper decks of the ship–**_**dracaenae**_** snake-women, hellhounds, giants, and the humanoid seal-demons known as telkhines–but we zipped by so fast none of them raised the alarm. We shot down to the stern of the boat, and Blackjack spread his wings, lightly coming to a landing on the lowest deck. I climbed off, feeling queasy.**

Annabeth laughed:" Very heroic." 

_**Good luck, boss,**_** Blackjack said. **_**Don't let 'em turn you into horse meat!**_

**With that, my old friend flew off into the night. I pulled out my pen and uncapped it, and Riptide sprang to life–three feet of deadly Celestial bronze glowing in the dusk.**

"I miss my sword," Jason sighed, leaning back into his chair.

"What happened to it?" Percy asked.

Piper sighed."It got broken in half during our quest to free Hera at the Wolf House."

Percy paled. "Wait, I woke up there, and I was so close to being able to go home?"

"Seriously? I guess you couldn't have left anyway because of the prophecy," Annabeth replied.

**Beckendorf pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. I thought it was a map or something. Then I realized it was a photograph. He stared at it in the dim light- the smiling face of Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite. **

**They'd started going out last summer, after years of the rest of us saying "Duh, you guys like each other!" Even with all the dangerous missions, Beckendorf had been happier this summer than I'd ever seen him. **

Annabeth teared up a little."Gods, poor Beckendorf. I'm so relieved that you made it back though. If you didn't…"

**"We'll make it back to camp," I promised.**

**For a second I saw worry in his eyes. Then he put on his old confident smile. **

**"You bet," he said. "Let's go blow Kronos back into a million of pieces."**

**Beckendorf led the way. We followed a narrow corridor to the service stairwell, just like we'd practiced, but we froze when we heard noises above us. **

Everyone but Percy was tense, worried about what would happen next.

**"I don't care what your nose says!" snarled a half-human, half-dog voice- a telkhine. "The last time you smelled half-blood, it turned out to be a meat loaf sandwich!" **

**"Meat loaf sandwiches are good!" a second voice snarled. "But this is half-blood scent, I swear. They are on board!" **

"Ew, meat loaf sandwiches are disgusting," Piper said, a grossed-out look on her face.

**"Bah, your **_**brain**_** isn't on board!" **

**They continued to argue, and Beckendorf pointed downstairs. We descended as quietly as we could. Two floors down, the voices of the telkhines started to fade. **

**Finally, we came to a metal hatch. Beckendorf mouthed the words "engine room." **

**It was locked, but Beckendorf pulled some chain cutters out of his bag and split the bolt like it was made of butter. **

Leo looked impressed. "Woah, that guy was really skilled at making stuff. I can't even get my weapons that sharp."

**Inside, a row of yellow turbines the size of grain silos churned and hummed. Pressure gauges and computer terminals lined the opposite wall. A telkhine was hunched over a console, but he was so involved with his work, he didn't notice us.**

"What does a telkhine even look like?" Frank asked.

**He was about five feet tall, with slick black seal fur and stubby little feet. He had the head of a Doberman, but his clawed hands were almost human. **

"Oh, okay." Everyone laughed.

**He growled and muttered as he tapped on his keyboard. Maybe he was messaging his friends on . **

"You really need to learn some insults," Annabeth joked. Percy groaned and said, "That was a pretty bad comeback. I'm gonna need to go to the Stolls for some training."

**I stepped forward, and he tensed, probably smelling something wrong. He leaped sideways toward a big red alarm button, but I blocked his path. He hissed and lunged at me, but one slice of Riptide, and he exploded into dust. **

**"One down," Beckendorf said, "About five thousand to go." He tossed me a jar of thick green liquid- Greek fire, one of the most dangerous magical substances in the world. The he threw me another essential tool of the demigod heroes- duct tape.**

The tension broke slightly as everyone laughed at the comment.

**"Slap that one on the console," he said. "I'll get the turbines." **

**We went to work. The room was hot and humid, and in no time we were drenched in sweat. **

**The boat kept chugging along. Being the son of Poseidon and all, I have perfect bearings at sea. Don't ask me how, but I could tell we were at 40.19 North, 71.90 West, making eighteen knots, which meant the ship would arrive in New York Harbor by dawn. This would be our only chance to stop it.**

The tension grew thick again as everyone went silent.

**I had just attached a second jar of Greek fire to the control panels when I heard the pounding of feet on metal steps- so many creatures coming down the stairwell I could hear them over the engines. Not a good sign. **

**I locked eyes with Beckendorf. "How much longer?" **

**"Too long." He tapped his watch, which was our remote control detonator. "I still have to wire the receiver and prime the charges. Ten more minutes at least." **

**Judging from the sound of the footsteps, we had about ten seconds. **

**"I'll distract them," I said. "Meet you at the rendezvous point." **

**"Percy-" **

**"Wish me luck." **

"Gods, you just wanted to get killed, didn't you?" Annabeth sighed.

**He looked like he wanted to argue. The whole idea had been to get in and out without being spotted. But we were going to have to improvise. **

**"Good luck," he said. **

**I charged out the door.**

**A half dozen telkhines were tromping down the stairs. I cut through them with Riptide faster than they could yelp. I kept climbing – past another telkhine, who was so started he dropped his Lil' Demons lunch box. I left him alive- partly because his lunch box was cool, partly so he could raise the alarm and hopefully get his friends to follow me rather than head towards the engine room.**

"You should've just killed him and then take his lunch box," Jason said.

"It _was _a cool lunch box, but I had to keep him alive in order to make my plan work."

Hazel snorted. "Wait, that was a plan? I thought you were just going to run around until Beckendorf finished."

**I burst through a door onto deck six and kept running. I'm sure the carpeted hall had once been very plush, but over the last three years of monster occupation the wallpaper, carpet, and stateroom had been clawed up and slimed so it looked like the inside of a dragon's throat (and yes, unfortunately, I speak from experience.)**

"I'm not even going to ask." Piper looked queasy.

"You don't want to," Annabeth replied.

**Back on my first visit to the **_**Princess Andromeda**_**, my old enemy Luke had kept some dazed tourist on board for show, shrouded in Mist so they didn't realize they were on a monster-infested ship. Now I didn't see any sign of tourists. I hated to think what had happened to them, but I kind of doubted they'd been allowed to go home with their bingo winnings.**

"Oh, those poor people," Hazel sighed.

**I reached the promenade, a big shopping mall that took up the whole middle of the ship, and I stopped cold. In the middle of the courtyard stood a fountain. And in the fountain squatted a giant crab. **

**I'm not talking "giant" like $7.99 all-you-can-eat Alaskan king crab. I'm talking **_**giant**_** like bigger than the fountain. The monster rose ten feet out of the water. Its shell was mottled blue and green, its pincers longer than my body. **

**If you've ever seen a crab's mouth, all foamy and gross with whiskers and snapping bits, you can imagine this one didn't look any better blown up to billboard size.**

Piper, Frank, Hazel, and Reyna looked grossed out at the description.

**Its beady black eyes glared at me, and I could see intelligence in them- and hate. The fact that I was the son of the sea god was not going to win me any points with Mr. Crabby. **

**"**_**FFFFfffffff**_**," it hissed, sea foam dripping from its mouth. The smell coming off it was like garbage can full of fish sticks that had been sitting in the sun all week.**

"It just keeps getting more disgusting," Piper groaned.

**Alarms blared. Soon I was going to have lots of company and I had to keep moving. **

**"Hey, crabby." I inched around the edge of the courtyard. "I'm just gonna scoot around you so-" **

**The crab moved with amazing speed. It scuttled out of the fountain and came straight at me, pincers snapping. I dove into a gift shop, plowing through a rack if T-shirts. A crab pincer smashed the glass walls to pieces and raked across the room. I dashed back outside, breathing heavily, but Mr. Crabby turned and followed. **

**"There!" a voice said from a balcony about me. "Intruder!" **

**If I'd wanted to create a distraction, I'd succeeded, but this was not where I wanted to fight. If I got pinned down in the center of the ship, I was crab chow.**

Percy was the only one who wasn't sitting still in anxiety. He was bust messing with his lay beads.

**The demonic crustacean lunged at me. I sliced with Riptide, taking off the tip of its claw. It hissed and foamed, but didn't seem very hurt. **

**I tried to remember anything from the old stories that might help with this thing. Annabeth had told me about a monster crab- something about Hercules crushing it under his big food? That wasn't going to work here. This crab was slightly bigger than my Reeboks.**

Leo cracked a brief smile before going back to his robot insect.

**Then a weird thought occurred to me. Last Christmas, my mom and I had brought Paul Blofis to our old cabin at Montauk, where we'd been going forever. Paul had taken me crabbing, and when he'd brought up a net full of the things, he'd shown me how crabs have a chink in their armor, right in the middle of their ugly bellies.**

"Wow, Paul just saved your life without even knowing," Annabeth mused, nudging Percy to pay attention. Smiling a little, he said, "Ya, if he hadn't told me that, I would've been dead meat." 

**The only problem was getting to the ugly belly. **

**I glanced at the fountain, then at the marble floor, already slick from scuttling crab tracks. I held out my hand, concentrating on the water, and the fountain exploded. Water sprayed everywhere, three stories high, dousing the balconies and the elevators and the windows of the shops. The crab didn't care. It loved water. It came at me sideways, snapping and hissing, and I ran straight at it, screaming, "AHHHHHHH!" **

**Just before we collided, I hit the ground baseball-style and slid on the wet marble floor straight under the creature. It was like sliding under a seven-ton armored vehicle. All the crab had to do was sit and squash me, but before it realized what I was going on, I jabbed Riptide into the chink in its armor, let go of the hilt, and pushed myself out the backside. **

**The monster shuddered and hissed. Its eyes dissolved. Its shell turned bright red as its insides evaporated. The empty shell clattered to the floor in a massive heap. **

"Wow, nice job," Jason said, looking impressed.

"Dude, that was so awesome!" Leo said, grinning with the others.

**I didn't have time to admire my handiwork. **

**I ran for the nearest stairs while all around me monsters and demigods shouted orders and strapped on their weapons. I was empty-handed. Riptide, being magic, would appear in my pocket sooner or later, but for now it was stuck somewhere under the wreckage of the crab, and I had no time to retrieve it.**

**In the elevator foyer on deck eight, a couple of dracaenae slithered across my path. From the waist up, they were woman with green scaly skin, yellow eyes, and forked tongues. From the waist down, they had double snake trunks instead of legs. They held spears and weighted nets, and I knew from experience they could use them. **

**"What isss thisss?" one said. "A prize for Kronosss!" **

**I wasn't in the mood to play break-the-snake, but in front of me was a stand with a model of the ship, like a YOU ARE HERE display. **

**I ripped the model off the pedestal and hurled it at the first**_** dracaena. **_**The boat smacked her in the face and she went down with the ship. **

Everyone but Jason, Reyna, and Percy started laughing.

**I jumped over her, grabbed her friend's spear, and swung her around. She slammed into the elevator, and I kept running toward the front of the ship. **

**"Get him!" she screamed. Hellhounds bayed. An arrow from somewhere whizzed past my face and impaled itself in the mahogany-paneled wall of the stairwell.**

**I didn't care- as long as I got the monsters away from the engine room and gave Beckendorf more time. **

No one was smiling now.

**As I was running up the stairwell, a kid charged down. He looked like he'd just woken up from a nap. His armor was half on. He drew his sword and yelled, "Kronos!" but he sounded more scared than angry. He couldn't have been more than twelve- about the same age I was when I'd first arrived at Camp Half-Blood. **

Annabeth looked down, a sad expression on her face. Percy tried to comfort her by holding her hand.

**That thought depressed me. This kid was getting brainwashed – trained to hate the gods and lash out because he'd been born half Olympian. Kronos was using him, and yet the kid thought I was his enemy. **

**No way was I going to hurt him. I didn't need a weapon for this. I stepped inside his strike and grabbed his wrist, slamming it against the wall. His sword clattered out of his hand. **

**Then I did something I hadn't planned on. It was probably stupid. It definitely jeopardized our mission, but I couldn't help it.**

"Your fatal flaw once again,"Annabeth said quiet enough for only Percy to hear.

**"If you want to live, "I told him, "get off this ship now. Tell the other demigods." Then I shoved him down the stairs and sent him tumbling to the next door. **

**I kept climbing. **

**Bad memories: a hallway ran past the cafeteria. Annabeth, my half brother Tyson, and I had sneaked through here three years ago on my first visit. **

"So I'm guessing the first time didn't go well?" Leo asked. Percy and Annabeth didn't answer.

**I burst outside onto the main deck. Off the port bow, the sky was darkening from purple to black. A swimming pool glowed between two glass towers with more balconies and restaurant decks. The whole upper ship seemed eerily deserted.**

**All I had to do was cross to the other side. Then I could take the staircase down to the helipad- our emergency rendezvous point. With any luck, Beckendorf would meet me there. We'd jump into the sea. My water powers would protect us both, and we'd detonate the charges from a quarter mile away. **

**I was halfway across the deck when the sound of a voice made me freeze. "You're late, Percy." **

**Luke stood on the balcony above me, a smile on his scarred face. He wore jeans, a white T-shirt, and flip-flops, like he was just a normal college guy, but his eyes told the truth. They were solid gold. **

Annabeth paled. She still hadn't completely gotten over Luke. Percy felt her hand shake slightly and squeezed it reassuringly.

**"We've been expecting you for days." At first he sounded normal, like Luke. But then his face twitched. A shudder passed through his body as though he'd just drunk something really nasty. His voice became heavier, ancient, and powerful- the voice of the Titan lord Kronos. The words scraped down my spine like a knife blade. "Come, bow before me." **

Jason seemed to realize something. " Wait, you told me your friend Luke died when we were in the Zeus cabin getting ready to leave. Luke was the one who hosted Lord Kronos? That guy betrayed your camp and you still sound like you care about him."

Percy looked up, his face stony, and said, "He's a hero. I suggest you be quiet until you know the full story about him."

**"Yeah, that'll happen," I muttered. **

**Laistrygonian giants filed in on either side of the swimming pool as if they'd been waiting for a cue. Each was eight feet tall with tattooed arms, leather armor, and spiked clubs. Demigod archers appeared on the roof above Luke. Two hellhounds leaped down from the opposite balcony and snarled at me. Within seconds I was surrounded. A trap: there's no way they could've gotten into position so face unless they'd known I was coming. **

**I looked up at Luke, and anger boiled inside me. I didn't know if Luke's consciousness was even still alive inside that body. Maybe, the way his voice had changed . . . Or maybe it was just Kronos adapting to his new form. I told myself it didn't matter. Luke had been twisted and evil long before Kronos possessed him.**

"Seems like you agree with me," Jason said wryly.

"Luke was a good guy. Percy figured that out later on. He- he didn't mean to do all that, he had a hard life," Annabeth replied, blinking back tears. 

**A voice in my head said: **_**I have to fight him eventually. Why not now? **_

**According to that big prophecy, I was supposed to make a choice that saved or destroyed the world when I was sixteen. That was only seven days away. Why not now? If I really had the power, what difference would a week make? **

**I could end this threat right here by taking down Kronos. Hey, I'd fought monsters and gods before. **

"He fought Ares when he was twelve," Annabeth explained, regaining her composure.

**As if reading my thoughts, Luke smiled. No, he was **_**Kronos. I had to remember that. **_

**"Come forward," he said. "If you dare." **

**The crowd of monsters parted. I moved up the stairs, my heart pounding. I was sure somebody would stab me in the back, but they let me pass. I felt my pocket and found my pen waiting. I uncapped it, and Riptide grew into a sword. **

**Kronos's weapon appeared in his hands- a six-foot-long scythe, half Celestial bronze, half mortal steel. Just looking at it made my knees turn to Jell-O. But before I could change my mind, I charged. **

**Time slowed down. I mean **_**literally **_**slowed down, because Kronos had that power. I felt like I was moving through syrup. My arms were so heavy, I could barely raise my sword. Kronos smiled, swirling his scythe at normal speed and waiting for me to creep toward my death.**__

Frank grimaced. "Seems like a really unfair fight."

**I tried to fight his magic. I concentrated on the sea around me- the source of my power. I'd gotten better at channeling it over the year, but now nothing seemed to happen. I took another slow step forward. Giants jeered, **_**Dracaenae **_**hissed with laughter**_**. **_

_**Hey, ocean, I pleaded. Any day would be good. **_

**Suddenly there was a wrenching pain in my gut. The entire boat lurched sideways, throwing monsters off their feet. Four thousand gallons of salt water surged out of the swimming pool, dousing me and Kronos and everyone on the deck. The water revitalized me, breaking the time spell, and I lunged forward.**

"Just in time," Hazel said, looking relieved.

"That seems to happen a lot with me," Percy replied, cracking a small smile.

**I struck at Kronos, but I was still too slow. I made the mistake of looking at his face- **_**Luke's face- a guy who was once my friend. **_**As much as I hated him, it was hard to kill him.**__

**Kronos had no such hesitation. He sliced downward with his scythe. I leaped back, and the evil blade missed by an inch, cutting a gash in the deck right between my feet. **

**I kicked Kronos in the chest. He stumbled backward, but he was heavier than Luke should've been. It was like kicking a refrigerator. **

**Kronos swung his scythe again. I intercepted with Riptide, but his strike was so powerful, my blade could only deflect it. The edge of the scythe shaved off my shirtsleeve and grazed my arm. It shouldn't have been a serious cut, but the entire side of my body exploded with pain. **

"Oh gods, how come you never told me you were sliced by his scythe?" Annabeth asked, looking worried. Everyone else was absolutely silent, looking terrified.

"It's because I didn't want to freak you out. You were already stressed about the Battle."

**I remembered what a sea demon had once said about Kronos's scythe: **_**Careful, fool. One touch and the blade will sever your soul from your body. **_**Now I understood what he meant. I wasn't just losing blood. I could feel my strength, my will, my identity draining away. **

Hazel remembered what it was like to see the souls of people walking alone in the Fields of Asphodel, not even remembering their own names, and felt a small hint of sadness.

**I stumbled backward, switched my sword to my left hand, and lunged desperately. My blade should've run him through, but it deflected off his stomach like I was hitting solid marble. There was no way he should've survived that. **

**Kronos laughed. "A poor performance, Percy Jackson. Luke tells me you were never his match at swordplay." **

**My vision started to blur. I knew I didn't have much time. "Luke had a big head," I said. "But at least it was his head." **

Reyna gave an almost sympathetic look towards Annabeth when she gave a small sigh.

**"A shame to kill you now", Kronos mused, "before the final plan unfolds. I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus." **

**"You'll never get this boat to Manhattan." My arm was throbbing. Black spots danced in my vision. **

**"And why would that be?" Kronos's golden eyes glittered. His face- Luke's face- seemed like a mask, unnatural and lit from behind by some evil power. "Perhaps you are counting on your friend with the explosives?" **

"Oh no," Piper whispered under her breath.

**He looked down at the pool and called, "Nakamura!" A teenage guy in full Greek armor pushed through the crowd. His left eye was covered with a black patch. I knew him, of course: Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis. I'd saved his life in the Labyrinth last summer, and in return, the little punk had helped Kronos come back to life. **

**"Success, my lord," Ethan called. "We found him just as we were told." **

**He clapped his hands, and two giants lumbered forward, dragging Charles Beckendorf between them. My heart almost stopped. Beckendorf had a swollen eye and cuts all over his face and arms. His armor was gone and his shirt was nearly torn off.**

Frank looked worried."Oh gods, that poor guy."

**"No!" I yelled. **

**Beckendorf met my eyes. He glanced at his hand like he was trying to tell me something. His watch. They hadn't taken it yet, and that was the detonator. Was it possible the explosives were armed? Surely the monsters would've dismantled them right away. **

"Wow, those are some really stupid demons," Leo said, trying to ease the anxiety in the room.

**"We found him amidships," one of the giants said, "trying to sneak to the engine room. Can we eat him now?" **

**"Soon." Kronos scowled at Ethan. "Are you sure he didn't set the explosives?" **

**"He was going **_**toward **_**the engine room, my lord**_**." **_

**"How do you know that?" **

**"Er . . . " Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "He was heading in that direction. And he told us. His bag is still full of explosives." **

Reyna looked appalled at that part. "They had the dumbest minions I have ever seen."

"Don't you mean read?" Jason asked, smirking at her. Reyna returned the smile, much to Piper's dislike.

**Slowly, I began to understand. **

**Beckendorf had fooled them. When he'd realized he was going to be captured, he turned to make it look like he was going the other way. He'd convinced them he hadn't made it to the engine room yet. The Greek fire might still be primed! But that didn't do us any good unless we could get off the ship and detonate it. **

**Kronos hesitated. **

_**Buy the story, **_**I prayed. The pain in my arm was so bad now I could barely stand.**__

**"Open his bag," Kronos ordered. One of the giants ripped the explosives satchel from Beckendorf's shoulders. He peered inside, grunted, and turned it upside down. Panicked monsters surged backward. If the bag really had been full of Greek fire jars, we would've all blown up. But what fell out were a dozen cans of peaches. **

Everyone was silent, waiting for what would happen next.

**I could hear Kronos breathing, trying to control his anger. **

**"Did you, perhaps," he said, "capture this demigod near the galley?" **

**Ethan turned pale. "Um-" **

**"And did you, perhaps, send someone to actually CHECK THE ENGINE ROOM?" **

**Ethan scrambled back in terror, then turned on his heels and ran. **

**I cursed silently. Now we had only minutes before the bombs were disarmed. I caught Beckendorf's eyes again and asked a silent question, hoping he would understand: **_**How long? **_

**He cupped his fingers and thumb, making a circle. **_**Zero.**_

Percy looked down at his and Annabeths' hands, knowing exactly what would happen next. Annabeth seemed to realize it too, because she put her head on his shoulder.__

**There was no delay on the timer at all. If he managed to press the detonator button, the ship would blow at once. We'd never be able to get far enough away before using it. The monsters would kill us first, or disarm the explosives, or both. **

**Kronos turned toward me with a crooked smile. "You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson. But it doesn't matter. We have you now. We've known you were coming for weeks." **

**He held out his hand and dangled a little silver bracelet with a scythe charm-the Titan lord's symbol. **

**The wound in my arm was sapping my ability to think, but I muttered, "Communication device . . . Spy at camp." **

**Kronos chuckled. "You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way. **

Leo frowned, looking upset. "Seriously, that's what that Luke guy thought? I know my friends helped me out through a lot, and I'm guessing the same goes for everyone else."

Everyone else nodded quietly, feeling bad about the fate of Luke.

**Now drop your sword and surrender to me, or your friend dies." **

**I swallowed. One of the giants had his hand around Beckendorf's neck. I was in no shape to rescue him, and even if I tried, he would die before I got there. We both would.**

**Beckendorf mouthed one word: **_**Go. **_

**I shook my head. I couldn't just leave him. **

**The second giant was still rummaging through the peach cans, which meant Beckendorf's left arm was free. He raised it slowly- toward the watch on his right wrist. **

**I wanted to scream, **_**NO! **_

The Romans, Piper, and Leo sat quietly, realizing what would happen next. Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other, waiting for themoment Beckendorf was killed.

**Then down by the swimming pool, one of the dracaenae hissed, "What isss he doing? What isss that on hisss wrissst?" **

**Beckendorf closed eyes tight and brought his hand up to his watch. **

**I had no choice. I threw my sword like a javelin at Kronos. It bounced harmlessly off his chest, but it did startle him. I pushed through a crowd of monsters and jumped off the side of the ship- toward the water a hundred feet below. **

**I heard rumbling deep in the ship. Monsters yelled at me from above. A spear sailed past my ear. An arrow pierced my thigh, but I barely had time to register the pain. I plunged into the sea and willed the currents to take me far, far away-a hundred yards, two hundred yards. **

**Even from that distance, the explosion shook the world. Heat seared the back of my head. The **_**Princess Andromeda **_**blew up from both sides, a massive fireball of green flame roiling into the dark sky, consuming everything.**__

"He was a very brave person. That's exactly what a hero is," Reyna said quietly, looking at Percy. Hazel gave a grim nod towards Annabeth.

**Beckendorf, I thought. **

**Then I blacked out and sank like an anchor toward the bottom of the sea.**

The room was deathly silent, no one smiling anymore. "Percy, you never told me that that was how Beckendorf was killed. He-he was a hero," Annabeth said quietly.

Percy sighed, "I still feel awful about that. I still think that I could've done something to save him."

"Hey, you did all you could, you shouldn't beat yourself up over that," Frank replied, smiling a little.

"Well, hey," Leo piped up," how about we get on with the reading? I want to see the funny chapter titles!" That made everyone else laugh. "Ya, how did you think those up?" Piper joked, grinning at Percy.

Smiling, he replied, "Well, I didn't even know I had a book about me, so I'm not sure. Let's read the next couple chapters then go get something to eat.

Agreeing, Frank took the book from Reyna and turned to the next page.

**Whew, that took **_**forever **_**to write! I tried to finish this and post it as soon as I could. I have an older authors note explaining why this hasn't been updated when I said I would on my profile, so check that out please. It's also been a while due to the fact that I'm playing water polo now, and we practice from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00. So thanks so much for the wait, I'll try posting the next chapter later next week, probably Wednesday. So peace off, Brofist, and **_**To Pigfarts! ~Starkidrocks**_


	4. I Meet Some Fishy Relatives

After a quick bathroom break, courtesy of Leo jumping around like a little kid, everyone settled down into their seats. Reyna frowned at the choice of seating, Jason sitting close to Piper, the two holding hands out of Reyna's sight. Annabeth smirked and said, "Oh, and your mom sent you a care package of blue food. Jason already took one of the cookies. You can grab it at the ship later on." Sighing in anticipation for his mom's cooking, Percy replied, "Then the sooner we finish this book, the sooner I can get some blue jellybeans." 

**Demigod dreams suck. **

"Don't we have visions, not dreams?" Hazel contemplated, Frank thinking her thinking face was cute, her eyebrows knitted together.

**The thing is, they're never just **_**dreams. **_**They've got to be visions, omens, and all that other mystical stuff that makes my brain hurt. **

Annabeth and Reyna smirked. "Anything complicated seems to give you a headache," Reyna said wryly.

**I dreamed I was in a dark palace at the top of a mountain. Unfortunately, I recognized it: the palace of the Titans on top of Mount Othrys, otherwise known as Mount Tamalpais, in California. The main pavilion was open to the night, ringed with black Greek columns and statues of the Titans. Torchlight glowed against the black marble floor. In the center of the room, an armored giant struggled under the weight of a swirling funnel cloud-Atlas, holding up the sky. **

Annabeth and Percy winced at the same time, remembering the weight of the sky themselves.

Frank looked up from the book long enough to ask, "You guys act like you know what it feels like." Realization seemed to dawn of everyone's faces.

"You guys held the sky?" Leo gaped. "How much cooler can you guys _get?"_

**Two other giant men stood nearby over a bronze brazier, studying images in the flames. **

**"Quite an explosion," one said. **

**He wore black armor studded with silver dots like a starry night. His face was covered in a war helm with a ram's horn curling on either side. **

Jason and Reyna frowned, the memories of the fight on Mount Tam flashing into their minds: fighting Krios, the endless waves of monsters, all the casualties…

**"It doesn't matter," the other said. This Titan was dressed in gold robes, with golden eyes like Kronos. His entire body glowed. He reminded me of Apollo, God of the Sun, **

"Apollo wouldn't care too much about that description," Piper chided sarcastically, making everyone laugh as they imagined the god's face.

**except the Titan's light was harsher, and his expression crueler. "The gods have answered the challenge. Soon they will be destroyed." **

**The images in the fire were hard to make out: storms, buildings crumbling, mortals screaming in terror. **

Hazel shuddered at the image, and Frank placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.

**"I will go east to marshal our forces," the golden Titan said. **

**"Krios, you shall remain and guard Mount Othrys." The ram horn dude grunted. "I always get the stupid jobs. Lord of the South. Lord of Constellations. Now I get to babysit Atlas while **_**you**_** have all the fun." **

**Under the whirlwind of clouds, Atlas bellowed in agony, "Let me out, curse you! I am your greatest warrior. Take my burden so I may fight!" **

**"Quiet!" the golden Titan roared. "You had your chance, Atlas. You failed. Kronos likes you just where you are. As for you, Krios, do your duty." **

"I didn't know that even Titans can sound like whiny kids."

Percy laughed at Annabeth's comment and said, "Well, I'm not too surprised, I mean, they also had a thing for telling most of their plans before they tried killing you."

**"And if you need more warriors?" Krios asked. "Our treacherous nephew in the tuxedo will not do you much good in a fight."**

"Wait, who is this 'Nephew in the tuxedo'?" Reyna asked, looking at Percy and Annabeth.

**The golden Titan laughed. "Don't worry about him. Besides, the gods can barely handle our first little challenge. They have no idea how many others we have in store. Mark my words, in a few days time, Olympus will be in ruins, and we will meet here again to celebrate the dawn of the Sixth Age!" **

**The golden Titan erupted into flames and disappeared. **

**"Oh, sure," Krios grumbled. "He gets to erupt into flames. I get to wear these stupid ram's horns." **

Piper rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Like a true daughter of Aphrodite."

Leo heard her comment and started to chuckle.

**The scene shifted. Now I was outside the pavilion, hiding in the shadows of a Greek column. A boy stood next to me, eavesdropping on the Titans. He had dark silky hair, pale skin, and dark clothes- my friend Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades. **

Jason and Reyna suddenly sat up, taken by surprise. "Wait, Nico's a _gaecus_?"

Annabeth looked just as startled. "He knew about Camp Jupiter this whole time _and he never said anything about it?"_

"Don't worry," Percy sighed, holding back his laughter so Annabeth wouldn't punch him. "When we find him, I'll personally send him back to his father."

**He looked straight at me, his expression grim. "You see, Percy?" he whispered. "You're running out of time. Do you really think you can beat them without my plan?" **

**His words washed over me as cold as the ocean floor, and my dreams went black. **

**"Percy?" a deep voice said. **

**My head felt like it had been microwaved in aluminium foil**

Leo and Hazel winced at the same time and said, "Ouch."

**I opened my eyes and saw a large shadowy figure looming over me. **

**"Beckendorf?" I asked hopefully. **

**"No, brother." **

**My eyes refocused. I was looking at a Cyclops-a misshapen face, ratty brown hair, one big brown eye full of concern. "Tyson?" **

"Speaking of Tyson, where is he? I haven't seen him around," Annabeth told Percy.

Smiling, Percy replied in a slight sing-song way, "He's busy with his new harpy crush, Ella."

**My brother broke into a toothy grin. "Yay! Your brain works!"**

"The only problem is that that head is filled with kelp," joked Annabeth, Hazel smiling a little.

**I wasn't so sure. My body felt weightless and cold. My voice sounded wrong. I could hear Tyson, but it was more like I was hearing vibrations inside my skull, not the regular sounds. I sat up, and a gossamer sheet floated away. I was on a bed made of silky woven kelp, in a room paneled with abalone shell. Glowing pearls the size of basketballs floated around the ceiling, providing light. I was under water. **

Percy could still remember how the palace looked as if it were only yesterday, and a sad feeling washed over him. _I wonder if I'll live long enough to see it again._

**Now, being the son of Poseidon and all, I was okay with this. I can breathe underwater just fine, and my clothes don't even get wet unless I want them to. But it was still a bit of a shock when a hammerhead shark drifted through the bedroom window, regarded me, and then swam calmly out the opposite side of the room. **

"Totally normal," Leo said nonchalantly. He was caught off guard when he saw Reyna smile at his joke.

**"Where-" **

**"Daddy's palace," Tyson said. **

**Under different circumstances, I would've been excited.** **I'd never visited Poseidon's realm, and I'd been dreaming about it for years. But my head hurt. My shirt was still speckled with burn marks from the explosion. My arm and leg wounds had healed-just being in the ocean can do that for me, given enough time-but I still felt like I'd been trampled by a Laistrygonian soccer team in cleats. **

"I'm guessing it feels like being thrown off a pegasus while you're high up in the air?" Hazel suggested.

"Ya, that's pretty close," Percy replied, messing with the clay beads on his necklace.

**"How long-" **

**"We found you last night," Tyson said, "sinking through the water." **

**"The **_**Princess Andromeda**_**?" **

**"Went ka-boom," Tyson confirmed. **

**"Beckendorf was on board. Did you find . . ." Tyson's face darkened. "No sign of him. I am sorry, brother." I stared out the window into deep blue water. Beckendorf was supposed to go to college in the fall. He had a girlfriend, lots of friends, his whole life ahead of him.**

Annabeth sighed. "You shouldn't have beaten yourself up over his death. You had people that would miss you too. I mean, if he came back to camp and you got stupid trying to be a hero and got yourself killed…" She didn't notice that her hands started shaking.

**He couldn't be **_**gone. **_**Maybe he'd made it off the ship like I had. Maybe he'd jumped over the side . . . and what? He couldn't have survived a hundred-foot fall into the water like I could. He couldn't have put enough distance between himself and the explosion. **

**I knew in my gut he was dead. He'd sacrificed himself to take out the **_**Princess Andromeda, **_**and I had abandoned him.**

Percy pulled her into a one-armed hug and replied, "I get it. Sorry."

**I thought about my dream: the Titans discussing the explosion as if it didn't matter, Nico di Angelo warning me that I would never beat Kronos without following his plan-a dangerous idea I'd been avoiding for more than a year. **

Jason finally spoke up and asked," So what is this really dangerous plan of Nico's? I'm guessing it involves a way to have a one-up against Kronos."

**A distant blast shook the room. Green light blazed outside, turning the whole sea as bright as noon. **

**"What was that?" I asked. **

**Tyson looked worried. "Daddy will explain. Come, he is blowing up monsters." **

**The palace might have been the most amazing place I'd ever seen if it hadn't been in the process of getting destroyed. **

Leo smiled. "Ya, a destroyed palace isn't the most amazing thing, I think I'd prefer a nice workshop instead."

**We swam to the end of a long hallway and shot upward on a geyser. As we rose over the rooftops I caught my breath- well, if you can catch your breath underwater. **

**The palace was as big as the city on Mount Olympus, with wide courtyards, gardens, and columned pavilions. The gardens were sculpted with coral colonies and glowing sea plants. Twenty or thirty buildings were made of abalone, white but gleaming with rainbow colors. Fish and octopi darted in and out of the windows. The paths were lined with glowing pearls like Christmas lights. **

"That place sounds amazing," Hazel and Piper said wistfully.

**The main courtyard was filled with warriors-mermen with fish tails from the waist down and human bodies from the waist up, except their skin was blue, which I'd never known before. Some were tending the wounded. Some were sharpening spears and swords. One passed us, swimming in a hurry. His eyes were bright green, like that stuff they put in glo-sticks, and his teeth were shark teeth. They don't show you stuff like that in **_**The Little Mermaid.**_

"I believe if the mermaids looked like that, the world would be filled with many scarred mortal children," Reyna joked. Everyone was stunned that she actually was making puns and smiling, since she's usually so serious.

**Outside the main courtyard stood large fortifications-towers, walls, and antisiege weapons-but most of these had been smashed to ruins. Others were blazing with a strange green light that I knew well- Greek fire, which can burn even underwater. **

**Beyond this, the sea floor stretched into gloom. I could see battles raging-flashes of energy, explosions, the glint of armies clashing. A regular human would've found it too dark to see. Heck, a regular human would've been crushed by the pressure and frozen by the cold. Even my heat-sensitive eyes couldn't make out exactly what was going on. **

**At the edge of the palace complex, a temple with a red coral roof exploded, sending fire and debris streaming in slow motion across the farthest gardens. Out of the darkness above, an enormous form appeared-a squid larger than any skyscraper. It was surrounded by a glittering cloud of dust-at least I thought it was dust, until I realized it was a swarm of mermen trying to attack the monster. **

"Wow, when I hear the _mermaid_, I don't think of swords and weapons," Jason mused.

Percy didn't bother looking up from twirling a pen to respond. "Well, I guess it's best not to listen to stereotypes, huh?"

**The squid descended on the palace and swatted its tentacles, smashing a whole column of warriors. Then a brilliant arc of blue light shot from the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings. The light hit the giant squid, and the monster dissolved like food coloring in water. **

"Gee, wonder who that is?"

**"Daddy," Tyson said, pointing to where the light had come from. **

_**"He**_** did that?" I suddenly felt more hopeful. My dad had unbelievable powers. He was the god of the sea.**

**He could deal with this attack, right? **

"Gods are powerful, but they are not one-man armies."

**Maybe he'd let me help. **

**"Have you been in the fight?" I asked Tyson in awe. "Like bashing heads with your awesome Cyclops strength and stuff?" Tyson pouted, and immediately I knew I'd asked a bad question, **

**"I have been . . . fixing weapons," he mumbled. "Come. Let's go find Daddy." **

Annabeth frowned sympathetically. "Oh, poor Tyson."

**I know this might sound weird to people with, like, regular parents, but I'd only seen my dad four or five times in my life, and never for more than a few minutes.**

"At least you have met your parent," Reyna said quietly, spinning her dagger on the desk.

**The Greek gods don't exactly show up for their kids' basketball games. Still, I thought I would recognize Poseidon on sight. **

**I was wrong.**

"Aren't you usually wrong about things?" Annabeth joked, making some of the others laugh.

"Ha ha, very funny."

**The roof of the temple was a big open deck that had been set up as a command center. A mosaic on the floor showed an exact map of the palace grounds and the surrounding ocean, but the mosaic moved. Coloured stone tiles representing different armies and sea monsters shifted around as the forces changed position. Buildings that collapsed in real life also collapsed in the picture. Standing around the mosaic, grimly studying the battle, was a strange assortment of warriors, but none of them looked like my dad. I was searching for a big guy with a good tan and a black beard, wearing Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. **

**There was nobody like that. One guy was a merman with two fish tails instead of one. His skin was green, his armor studded with pearls. **

"Seems, uh, masculine. Pearl- studded armor," Leo coughed.

Percy started laughing a lot, knowing exactly what Leo was calling Triton. Everyone else gave him funny looks.

**His black hair was tied in a ponytail, and he looked young though it's hard to tell with non-humans. They could be a thousand years old or three.**

Piper seemed to figure out Leo's comment and started laughing along with Percy, receiving more quizzical looks.

**Standing next to him was an old man with a bushy white beard and gray hair.** **His battle armor seemed to weigh him down. He had green eyes and smile wrinkles around his eyes, but he wasn't smiling now.**

Reyna frowned slightly at the description. "Aren't the gods supposed to be powerful, young beings?"

Percy shook his head. "My father will likely explain it later on."

**He was studying the map and leaning on a large metal staff. To his right stood a beautiful woman in green armor with flowing black hair and strange little horns like crab claws. **

"And cue the awkward moment of meeting your father's wife."

**And there was a dolphin-just a regular dolphin, but it was staring at the map intently. **

**"Delphin," the old man said. **

Frank snorted. "What an original name."

**"Send Palaemon and his legion of sharks to the western front. We have to neutralize those leviathans." The dolphin spoke in a chattering voice, but I could understand it in my mind: **_**Yes, lord! **_**It sped away. **

**I looked in dismay at Tyson, then back at the old man. **

**It didn't seem possible, but . . . "Dad?" I asked. The old man looked up. I recognized the twinkle in his eyes, but his face . . . he looked like he'd aged forty years. **

"It must've been a tough war to affect him that much," Annabeth said, frowning at Percy.

**"Hello, Percy." **

**"What-what happened to you?" **

**Tyson nudged me. He was shaking his head so hard I was afraid it would fall off, but Poseidon didn't look offended. **

"Tyson is quite smart," Reyna complimented.

**"It's all right, Tyson," he said. "Percy, excuse my appearance. The war has been hard on me." **

**"But you're immortal," I said quietly. "You can look . . . any way you want." **

**"I reflect the state of my realm," he said. "And right now that state is quite grim. **

"That makes sense," said Reyna.

**Percy, I should introduce you-I'm afraid you just missed my lieutenant Delphin, God of the Dolphins. This is my, er, wife, Amphitrite. My dear- **_**" **_

"Akwarrrrrd," Leo sang, making the others chuckle.

**The lady in green armor stared at me coldly, then crossed her arms and said, "Excuse me, my lord. I am needed in the battle." She swam away. **

**I felt pretty awkward, but I guess I couldn't blame her. I'd never thought about it much, but my dad had an immortal wife. All his romances with mortals, including with my mom . . . well, Amphitrite probably didn't like that much. **

Annabeth snorted at Seaweed Brain's comment. "You think?"

**Poseidon cleared his throat. "Yes, well . . . and this is my son Triton. Er, my **_**other**_** son." **

**"Your son and heir," the green dude corrected. His double fish tails swished back and forth. He smiled at me, but there was no friendliness in his eyes.**

"What a jerk. I understand his dislike towards you, but still very rude," Hazel huffed, glaring slightly at the book.

**"Hello, Perseus Jackson. Come to help at last?" **

**He acted like I was late or lazy. If you can blush underwater, I probably did. **

**"Tell me what to do," I said. **

**Triton smiled like that was a cute suggestion-like I was a slightly amusing dog that had barked for him or something.**

Everyone was disliking Triton every time he opened his mouth or did some really snobby gesture.

**He turned to Poseidon. "I will see to the front line, Father. Don't worry. **_**I**_** will not fail." **

"Gods, he's lucky it wasn't me he was talking to," Jason muttered. "He he were treating me that way…"

"You would've blown up or drowned since you can't even do as deep as me, let alone breathe under water," Percy said with a smug look, earning him a glare from Annabeth.

**He nodded politely to Tyson. How come I didn't get that much respect? **

"Well, he _is _around Cyclops a lot, so he's learned to respect them, and you're the love child of his father and a mortal," Annabeth explained. "Wouldn't you feel the same way if you were Triton?"

Percy looked up from messing with the pen long enough to say, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"When am I_ not_ right?"

**Then he shot off into the water. **

**Poseidon sighed. He raised his staff, and it changed into his regular weapon-a huge three-pointed trident. The tip glowed with blue light, and the water around it boiled with energy. **

**"I'm sorry about that," he told me. **

**A huge sea serpent appeared from above us and spiraled down toward the roof. It was bright orange with a fanged mouth big enough to swallow a gymnasium. **

**Hardly looking up, Poseidon pointed his trident at the beast and zapped it with blue energy. **_**Ka-boom! **_**The monster burst into a million goldfish, which all swam off in terror. **

**"My family is anxious," Poseidon continued as if nothing had happened. **

"Yeah, I just destroyed a giant Kraken, but no big deal."

**"The battle against Oceanus is going poorly." He pointed to the edge of the mosaic. With the butt of his trident he tapped the image of a merman larger than the rest, with the horns of a bull. He appeared to be riding a chariot pulled by crawfish, and instead of a sword he wielded a live serpent. **

"Kinda like Hercules," Frank noted.

**"Oceanus," I said, trying to remember. "The Titan of the sea?" Poseidon nodded. "He was neutral in the first war of gods and Titans. But Kronos has convinced him to fight. This is . . . well, it's not a good sign. Oceanus would not commit unless he was sure he could pick the winning side." **

**"He looks stupid," I said, trying to sound upbeat. **

"That's the first time I heard you sound optimistic," Piper said wryly.

**"I mean, who fights with a snake?" **

**"Daddy will tie it in knots," Tyson said firmly. **

**Poseidon smiled, but he looked weary. "I appreciate your faith. We have been at war almost a year now. My powers are taxed. And still he finds new forces to throw at me-sea monsters so ancient I had forgotten about them." **

"I guess that's the problem with never dying; you start losing your memory like an old person."

Loud thunder rumbled outside, but was still heard inside the Via Praetoria.

"Um, Leo, don't compare the gods and goddesses to the elderly," Percy suggested.

**I heard an explosion in the distance. About half a mile away, a mountain of coral disintegrated under the weight of two giant creatures. I could dimly make out their shapes. One was a lobster. The other was a giant humanoid like a Cyclops, but he was surrounded by a flurry of limbs. At first I thought he wearing a bunch of giant octopi. Then I realized they were his own arms-a hundred flailing, fighting arms. **

**"Briares!" I said. **

**I was happy to see him, but he looked like he was fighting for his life. **

Reyna seemed confused. "A hundred-handed one? I thought they disappeared."

**He was the last of his kind-a Hundred-Handed One, cousin of the Cyclopes. We'd saved him from Kronos's prison last summer, **

"Woah, it's like it knows."

**and I knew he'd come to help Poseidon, but I hadn't heard of him since. **

**"He fights well," Poseidon said. "I wish we had a whole army like him, but he is the only one." **

**I watched as Briares bellowed in rage and picked up the lobster, which thrashed and snapped its pincers. He threw it off the coral mountain, and the lobster disappeared into the darkness. Briares swam after it, his hundred arms spinning like the blades of a motorboat.**

"Woah, cool," Frank gaped.

**"Percy, we may not have much time," my dad said. "Tell me of your mission. Did you see Kronos?" **

**I told him everything, though my voice choked up when I explained about Beckendorf. **

Annabeth hugged Percy and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, resulting in his face turning slightly red.

"Wow, I never would've thought of you as an emotional guy," Piper mentioned.

**I looked down at the courtyards below and saw hundreds of wounded mermen lying on makeshift cots. I saw rows of coral mounds that must've been hastily made graves. I realized Beckendorf wasn't the first death. He was only one of hundreds, maybe thousands. I'd never felt so angry and helpless. **

**Poseidon stroked his beard. "Percy, Beckendorf chose a heroic death. You bear no blame for that. Kronos's army will be m disarray. Many were destroyed." **

**"But we didn't kill him, did we?" **

**As I said it, I knew it was a naive hope. We might blow up his ship and disintegrate his monsters, but a Titan lord wouldn't be so easy to kill. **

"Got that right," Percy sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"Did you just agree with yourself?" Reyna asked, a small smile on her lips.

**"No," Poseidon admitted. "But you've bought our side some time." **

**"There were demigods on that ship," I said, thinking of the kid I'd seen in the stairwell. Somehow I'd allowed myself to concentrate on the monsters and Kronos. I'd convinced myself that destroying their ship was all right because they were evil, they were sailing to attack my city, and besides, they couldn't really be permanently killed. Monsters just vaporized and re-formed eventually. But demigods . . . **

**Poseidon put his hand on my shoulder. "Percy, there were only a few demigod warriors aboard that ship, and they all chose to battle for Kronos. Perhaps some heeded your warning and escaped. If they did not . . . they chose their path." **

Jason and Reyna nodded. "You should be concerned mostly on conserving your friends' lives, not those who threw theirs away. They knew what they were getting into."

Percy nodded, thinking. "I know, but it was sad to see little kids being taught to hate their parents."

**"They were brainwashed!" I said. "Now they're dead and Kronos is still alive. That's supposed to make me feel better?" I glared at the mosaic-little tile explosions destroying tile monsters. It seemed so easy when it was just a picture. Tyson put his arm around me. If anybody else had tried that, I would've pushed him away, but Tyson was too big and stubborn. **

Annabeth smiled, glancing around the room. "He's the best."

"Ya, he is. I can even stand his rib- crushing hugs," Percy said playfully, smiling and feeling better, not as sad.

**He hugged me whether I wanted it or not. "Not your fault, brother. Kronos does not explode good. Next time we will use a big stick." **

**"Percy," my father said. "Beckendorf's sacrifice wasn't in vain. You have scattered the invasion force. New York will be safe for a time, which frees the other Olympians to deal with the bigger threat." **

**"The bigger threat?" I thought about what the golden Titan had said in my dream: **_**The gods have answered the challenge. Soon they will be destroyed. **_

**A shadow passed over my father's face. "You've had enough sorrow for one day. Ask Chiron when you return to camp." **

**"Return to camp? But you're in trouble here. I want to help!" **

**"You can't, Percy. Your job is elsewhere." **

**I couldn't believe I was hearing this. I looked at Tyson for backup. **

**My brother chewed his lip. "Daddy . . . Percy can fight with a sword. He is good." **

"_Good _is an understatement," Annabeth laughed. "More like the best swordsman in three hundred years."

Jason raised a brow. "How do you know he's the best? Maybe I'm better than him."

"Fine then. We'll settle that later after the book is finished," Percy smirked.

"You're on."

**"I know that," Poseidon said gently. **

**"Dad, I can help," I said. "I know I can. You're not going to hold out here much longer." **

**A fireball launched into the sky from behind the enemy lines. I thought Poseidon would deflect it or something, but it landed on the outer corner of the yard and exploded, sending mermen tumbling through the water. Poseidon winced as if he'd just been stabbed. **

**"Return to camp," he insisted. "And tell Chiron it is time." **

**"For what?" **

**"You must hear the prophecy. The **_**entire**_** prophecy." I didn't need to ask him which prophecy. I'd been hearing about the "Great Prophecy" for years, but nobody would ever tell me the whole thing. All I knew was that I was supposed to make a decision that would decide the fate of the world-but no pressure.**

Despite the seriousness of the prophecy, everyone couldn't help but laugh.

**"What if **_**this**_** is the decision?" I said. "Staying here to fight, or leaving? What if I leave and you . . ." **

**I couldn't say **_**die. **_

"Gods can't die, Percy."

"I know that, Wise Girl."

**Gods weren't supposed to die, but I'd seen it happen. Even if they didn't die, they could be reduced to nearly nothing, exiled, imprisoned in the depths of Tartarus like Kronos had been. **

"Ha, told you."

**"Percy, you must go," Poseidon insisted. "I don't know what your final decision will be, but your fight lies in the world above. If nothing else, you must warn your friends at camp. Kronos knew your plans. You have a spy. We will hold here. We have no choice." Tyson gripped my hand desperately. "I will miss you, brother!" Watching us, our father seemed to age another ten years. **

"He really seems to care about you and Tyson," Hazel noted, looking at Percy with her golden eyes.

"Yeah, I'm really lucky to have him in my life that much for a god."

**"Tyson, you have work to do as well, my son. They need you in the armoury." **

**Tyson pouted some more. **

**"I will go," he sniffled. He hugged me so hard he almost cracked my ribs. "Percy, be careful! Do not let monsters kill you dead!" **

**I tried to nod confidently, but it was too much for the big guy.**

"Aww," Annabeth, Hazel, and Piper cooed at once. Reyna gave a sympathetic look.

**He sobbed and swam away toward the armory, where his cousins were fixing spears and swords. **

**"You should let him fight," I told my father. "He hates being stuck in the armory. Can't you tell?" **

**Poseidon shook his head. "It is bad enough I must send you into danger. Tyson is too young. I must protect him." **

**"You should trust him," I said. "Not try to protect him." Poseidon's eyes flared. I thought I'd gone too far, but then he looked down at the mosaic and his shoulders sagged. On the tiles, the mermaid guy in the crawfish chariot was coming closer to the palace. **

**"Oceanus approaches," my father said. "I must meet him in battle." I'd never been scared for a god before, but I didn't see how my dad could face this Titan and win. **

"And there goes the optimism," Leo sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.

**"I will hold," Poseidon promised. "I will not give up my domain. Just tell me, Percy, do you still have the birthday gift I gave you last summer?" **

**I nodded and pulled out my camp necklace. It had a bead for every summer I'd been at Camp Half-Blood, but since last year I'd also kept a sand dollar on the cord. **

Everyone looked confused. _Why would Percy need a sand dollar?_

**My father had given it to me for my fifteenth birthday. He'd told me I would know when to "spend it," but so far I hadn't figured out what he meant. All I knew was that it didn't fit the vending machines in the school cafeteria. **

Percy started laughing at that. "Yes, I was stupid enough to try it on the vending machines, Annabeth," he answered, right before she could get a single word out.

**"The time is coming," he promised. "With luck, I will see you for your birthday next week, and we will have a proper celebration." He smiled, and for a moment I saw the old light in his eyes. Then the entire sea grew dark in front of us, like an inky storm was rolling in. Thunder crackled, which should've been impossible underwater. A huge icy presence was approaching. I sensed a wave of fear roll through the armies below us. **

**"I must assume my true godly form," Poseidon said. "Go- and good luck, my son." **

"I never knew that a god could be scared," Piper mused.

**I wanted to encourage him, to hug him or something, but knew better than to stick around. When a god assumes his true form, the power is so great that any mortal looking on him will disintegrate. **

**"Good-bye, Father," I managed. **

**Then I turned away. I willed the ocean currents to aid me. Water swirled around me, and I shot toward the surface at speeds that would've caused any normal human to pop like a balloon. When I looked back, all I could see were flashes of green and blue as my father fought the Titan, and the sea itself was torn apart by the two armies.**

Everyone was quiet for a while, thinking about what the events could've meant.

Before Reyna could say anything, the door slammed open and a figure stepped inside the room.

**Phew, just finished typing this at one in the morning, hyped up on coffee and sugar cubes, yay! Let me know if there's anything I need to improve on, I'm guessing putting in everyone's POV. I'm more used to writing in Leo, Annabeth, and Percy's perspectives, so the others are new to me. Also, hope you like the first cliff hanger of the story, who could this person be? Guess in the reviews. Also, due to my schedule with water polo, these chapters will probably be posted every other week. Well, after that long A/N, Bless your face, Brofist, and TO PIGFARTS!**


	5. I get a Sneak Peek at my Death

_Before Reyna could say anything, the door slammed open and a figure stepped inside the room._

"Reyna, I must talk to you immediately!" Octavian stormed. Despite the murderous look on his face, he might've looked scarier if he wasn't holding a gutted stuffed bunny and wore a toga that looked like it was trying to trip him.

"What is it now, Octavian? You have no permission to enter my office," Reyna retorted, glaring.

Fixing his composure, Octavian cried, "The fates have shown the _graecus' _warship as a weapon of destruction! So I've taken the initiative to destroy this metal beast."

It took Jason and Percy to keep Leo from strangling the augur. "If you pput one hand on the Argo II, I swear to the gods that I will—"

"Be quiet, the both of you!" Piper cried. Her charmspeak made Leo sit back down, though he shot a death glare at Octavian.

Sighing, Reyna rose. "I will be doing damage control by rescuing your ship, so I'll be leaving for a while. Until then, I want Octavian to stay here so that you may keep an eye on him."

Octavian slunk into a nearby chair and waited for Reyna to leave the room before grumbling, "Get on with it then."

Shrugging, Hazel took the book and started to read.

**If you want to be popular at Camp Half-Blood, don't come back from a mission with bad news. **

"Well, that's pretty obvious," Piper said, smiling a bit.

**Word of my arrival spread as soon as I walked out of the ocean. Our beach is on the North Shore of Long Island, and it's enchanted so most people can't even see it. People don't just **_**appear**_** on the beach unless they're demigods or gods or really, really lost pizza delivery guys. (It's happened-but that's another story.)**

Jason raised a brow as he looked at Percy and Annabeth. "How in Jupiter did that happen?"

Shrugging, Percy replied, "All I know is that we had to make him forget what happened and we got New-York style pizza for dinner that night."

"Yeah", Annabeth sighed. "That was probably the best pizza we've ever had at camp."

**Anyway, that afternoon the lookout on duty was Connor Stoll from the Hermes cabin. When he spotted me, he got so excited he fell out of his tree. **

Everyone was expecting a comment from Leo, but he was too busy glaring at Octavian.

"What a barbaric defense system you _graecus _have," Octavian snorted.

Percy was imagining Octavian being used as Mrs. O'Leary's chew toy, same as Annabeth.

**Then he blew the conch horn to signal the camp and ran to greet me. **

**Connor had a crooked smile that matched his crooked sense of humor. He's a pretty nice guy, but you should always keep one hand on your wallet when he's around, and do not, under any circumstances, give him access to shaving cream unless you want to find your sleeping bag full of it.**

"Ha, and you're camp is filled with liars, thieves, and completely inept soldiers. I'm guessing you also live in tents?"

Annabeth gave a look towards Piper, and the two seemed to have an understanding between each other.

"Octavian, if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all."

Octavian opened his mouth to make more snide comments, but nothing came out of his mouth. Glaring at the others, he sunk in the chair and crossed his arms.

**He's got curly brown hair and is a little shorter than his brother, Travis, which is the only way I can tell them apart. They are both so unlike my old enemy Luke it's hard to believe they're all sons of Hermes. **

"I can see how they're related. Luke used to be a really easygoing guy, always smiling and making jokes," Annabeth sighed, feeling a sad pang in her chest.

**"Percy!" he yelled. "What happened? Where's Beckendorf?" Then he saw my expression, and his smile melted. "Oh, no. Poor Silena. Holy Zeus, when she finds out . . ." **

Leo looked down, understanding the feeling. He felt the same when his mom died.

**Together we climbed the sand dunes. A few hundred yards away, people were already streaming toward us, smiling and excited. **_**Percy's back, **_**they were probably thinking. **_**He's saved the day! Maybe he brought souvenirs! **_

"Ya, like a king-sized crab from the food court," Jason joked, making the others laugh.

**I stopped at the dining pavilion and waited for them. No sense rushing down there to tell them what a loser I was. **

"Mr. Positive, huh?" Piper said sarcastically.

**I gazed across the valley and tried to remember how Camp HalfBlood looked the first time I ever saw it. That seemed like a bajillion years ago. **

**From the dining pavilion, you could see pretty much everything. Hills ringed the valley. On the tallest, Half-Blood Hill, Thalia's pine tree stood with the Golden Fleece hanging from its branches, magically protecting the camp from its enemies.**

**The guard dragon Peleus was so big now I could see him from here-curled around the tree trunk, lending up smoke signals as he snored. **

**To my right spread the woods. To my left, the canoe lake glittered and the climbing wall glowed from the lava pouring down its side. Twelve cabins- one for each Olympian god-made a horseshoe pattern around the commons area. Farther south were the strawberry fields, the armory, and the four-story Big House with its sky blue paint job and its bronze eagle weathervane. **

"So what were you saying about sleeping in tents, Octavian?" Percy asked, raising a brow.

"You were right," he replied, muttering.

**In some ways, the camp hadn't changed. But you couldn't see the war by looking at the buildings or the fields. You could see it in the faces of the demigods and satyrs and naiads coming up the hill. **

Frank frowned. "They were sort of hardened by the thought of upcoming war, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "Ya, we lost a lot of friends already, so we were determined about winning this fight."

**There weren't as many at camp as four summers ago. Some had left and never come back. Some had died fighting.** **Others-we tried not to talk about them-had gone over to the enemy. **

**The ones who were still here were battle-hardened and weary. There was little laughter at camp these days. Even the Hermes cabin didn't play so many pranks. It's hard to enjoy practical jokes when your whole life feels like one. **

Annabeth and Percy exchanged looks, remembering that time where everything felt so hopeless at camp. Smiling sadly, she squeezed his hand.

**Chiron galloped into the pavilion first, which was easy for him since he's a white stallion from the waist down. His beard had grown wilder over the summer. He wore a green T-shirt that said MY OTHER CAR IS A CENTAUR and a bow slung over his back. **

**"Percy!" he said. "Thank the gods. But where . . ." Annabeth ran in right behind him, and I'll admit my heart did a little relay race in my chest when I saw her. **

Annabeth and Percy's faces were pink with embarrassment.

"Aww, how sweet," Piper sighed, a dreamy look in her eyes. Realizing what she just said, she held her ears and cried, "Ugh, the Aphrodite cabin is brainwashing me!"

**It's not that she tried to look good. We'd been doing so many combat missions lately, she hardly brushed her curly blond hair anymore, and she didn't care what clothes she was wearing- usually the same old orange camp T-shirt and jeans, and once in a while her bronze armor.**

Annabeth snorted. "Yeah, real attractive."

Percy smiled at her and said, "You're beautiful."

**Her eyes were stormy gray. Most of the time we couldn't get through a conversation without trying to strangle each other.** **Still, just seeing her made me feel fuzzy in the head.**

Hazel sighed a little. "Wow, you really care about her."

**Last summer, before Luke had turned into Kronos and everything went sour, there had been a few times when I thought maybe . . . well, that we might get past the strangle-each other phase. **

"Well, I guess that happened," Leo joked finally, though he still looked a little stiff.

"Ugh, can we stop listening to your love life and continue with this story?" Octavian whined.

**"What happened?" She grabbed my arm. "Is Luke-" **

**"The ship blew up," I said. "He wasn't destroyed. I don't know where-" **

**Silena Beauregard pushed through the crowd. Her hair wasn't combed and she wasn't even wearing makeup, which wasn't like her. **

"Oh no."

**"Where's Charlie?" she demanded, looking around like he might be hiding. **

**I glanced at Chiron helplessly. **

**The old centaur cleared his throat. "Silena, my dear, let's talk about this at the Big House-" **

**"No," she muttered. "No. **_**No." **_

Annabeth paled a little. _Poor Silena._

**She started to cry, and the rest of us stood around, too stunned to speak. We'd already lost so many people over the summer, but this was the worst. With Beckendorf gone, it felt like someone had stolen the anchor for the entire camp. **

**Finally Clarisse from the Ares cabin came forward. **

Hazel was surprised. _A daughter of Mars is friends with a daughter of Venus? Strange._

**She put her arm around Silena. They had one of the strangest friendships ever- a daughter of the war god and a daughter of the love goddess- but ever since Silena had given Clarisse advice last summer about her first boyfriend, Clarisse had decided she was Silena's personal bodyguard. **

**Clarisse was dressed in her blood red combat armor, her brown hair tucked into a bandana. She was as big and beefy as a rugby player, with a permanent scowl on her face, but she spoke gently to Silena. **

**"Come on, girl," she said. "Let's get to the Big House. I'll make you some hot chocolate." **

"Well, at least there's another child of Ares that is nice," Frank said, feeling a little relieved.

"Uh, well… on my first day of camp, she tried shoving my head down a toilet, then later tried to seriously hurt me," Percy explained.

"…Oh…"

Everyone but Octavian started laughing at Frank's expression.

**Everyone turned and wandered off in twos and threes, heading back to the cabins. Nobody was excited to see me now. Nobody wanted to hear about the blown-up ship. **

**Only Annabeth and Chiron stayed behind. **

**Annabeth wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm glad you're not dead, Seaweed Brain." **

**"Thanks," I said. "Me too." **

"Ya, I was glad that it wasn't you who got killed, then I'd personally have to kill you."

Percy smirked. "You know that makes no sense, right? I'd already be dead."

Sighing, Annabeth said, "Oh, shut up, Seaweed Brain."

**Chiron put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure you did everything you could, Percy. Will you tell us what happened?" **

**I didn't want to go through it again, but I told them the story, including my dream about the Titans. I left out the detail about Nico. Nico had made me promise not to tell anybody about his plan until I made up my mind, and the plan was so scary I didn't mind keeping it a secret.**

"What plan? It's really starting to annoy me that you keep sounding all mysterious," Piper groaned.

**Chiron gazed down at the valley. "We must call a war council immediately, to discuss this spy, and other matters." **

**"Poseidon mentioned another threat," I said. "Something even bigger than the **_**Princess Andromeda. **_**I thought it might be that challenge the Titan had mentioned in my dream." **

**Chiron and Annabeth exchanged looks, like they knew something I didn't.**

"I hate when you guys do that."

**I hated when they did that. **

Everyone laughed, even Octavian tried to keep a smile off his face.

**"We will discuss that also," Chiron promised. **

**"One more thing." I took a deep breath. "When I talked to my father, he said to tell you it's time. I need to know the full prophecy." Chiron's shoulders sagged, but he didn't look surprised. "I've dreaded this day. Very well. Annabeth, we will show Percy the truth-all of ****it**_**.**_** Let's go to the attic." **

Octavian scoffed. "Yes, let's see this little oracle that you have."

**I'd been to the Big House attic three times before, which was three times more than I wanted to. **

**A ladder led up from the top of the staircase. I wondered how Chiron was going to get up there, being half horse and all, but he didn't try. **

"No offense Percy," Hazel sighed, "but you aren't the sharpest sword in the armory."

"Got that right," Annabeth chuckled, Smiling when Percy pouted.

**"You know where it is," he told Annabeth. "Bring it down, please." Annabeth nodded. "Come on, Percy." **

**The sun was setting outside, so the attic was even darker and creepier than usual. Old hero trophies were slacked everywhere dented shields, pickled heads in jars from various monsters, a pair of fuzzy dice on a bronze plaque that read: STOLEN FROM CHRYSAOR'S HONDA CIVIC, BY GUS, SON OF HERMES, 1988. **

**I picked up a curved bronze sword so badly bent it looked like the letter **_**M. **_**I could still see green stains on the metal from the magical poison that used to cover it. The tag was dated last summer. It read: **_**Scimitar of Kampê, destroyed in the Battle of the Labyrinth. **_

"Oh ya, I forgot that you guys fought in that," Jason said.

"What battle?" Hazel asked, curious about what had happened.

"I'll explain later," Percy promised.

**"You remember Briares throwing those boulders?" I asked. Annabeth gave me a grudging smile. "And Grover causing a Panic?"**

**We locked eyes. I thought of a different time last summer, under Mount St. Helens, when Annabeth thought I was going to die and she kissed me. **

The others looked mildly surprised about that part.

"Ya… that was awkward… And I kissed you because I figured that if you were going to die, I had nothing to lose," Annabeth explained.

"Ya… now that I think about it, I have ten months worth of anniversaries to make up for," Percy groaned.

"Have fun with that," Leo joked.

**She cleared her throat and looked away. "Prophecy." **

**"Right." I put down the scimitar. "Prophecy." **

Percy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Ya, that's really awkward."

**We walked over to the window. On a three-legged stool sat the Oracle-a shriveled female mummy in a tie-dyed dress. Tufts of black hair clung to her skull. Glassy eyes stared out of her leathery face. Just looking at her made my skin crawl. **

Octavian looked like he was going to start laughing. "That's your little oracle? What a joke!"

Percy glared at Octavian and tried to keep himself from punching the smug look off his face.

**If you wanted to leave camp during the summer, it used to be you had to come up here to get a quest. This summer, that rule had been tossed. Campers left all the time on combat missions. We had no choice if we wanted to stop Kronos. **

**Still, I remembered too well the strange green mist-the spirit of the Oracle-that lived inside the mummy. She looked lifeless now, but whenever she spoke a prophecy, she moved. Sometimes fog gushed out of her mouth and created strange shapes. Once, she'd even left the attic and taken a little zombie stroll into the woods to deliver a message. **

"Gross," Jason said quietly.

**I wasn't sure what she'd do for the "Great Prophecy." I half expected her to start tap dancing or something. **

**But she just sat there like she was dead-which she was. **

**"I never understood this," I whispered. **

**"What?" Annabeth asked. **

**"Why it's a mummy." **

**"Percy, she didn't used to be a mummy. For thousands of years the spirit of the Oracle lived inside a beautiful maiden. The spirit would be passed on from generation to generation. Chiron told me **_**she**_** was like that fifty years ago." Annabeth pointed at the mummy. "But she was the last." **

**"What happened?" **

**Annabeth started to say something, then apparently changed her mind.**

Percy gave her a look like, _You knew this whole time about Hades' curse?_

**"Let's just do our job and get out of here." I looked nervously at the Oracle's withered face. "So what now?" Annabeth approached the mummy and held out her palms.**

**"O Oracle, the time is at hand. I ask for the Great Prophecy." I braced myself, but the mummy didn't move. Instead, Annabeth approached and unclasped one of its necklaces. I'd never paid too much attention to its jewelry before. I figured it was just hippie love beads and stuff. But when Annabeth turned toward me, she was holding a leather pouch-like a Native American medicine pouch on a cord braided with feathers. She opened the bag and took out a roll of parchment no bigger than her pinky. **

**"No way," I said. "You mean all these years, I've been asking about this stupid prophecy, and it's been right there around her neck?" **

Everyone started to laugh at this point, feeling better about the relieved tension. Octavian was laughing more at Percy than with him.

**"The time wasn't right," Annabeth said. "Believe me, Percy, I read this when I was ten years old, and I still have nightmares about it." **

**"Great," I said. "Can I read it now?" **

**"Downstairs at the war council," Annabeth said. "Not in front of . . . you know." **

**I looked at the glassy eyes of the Oracle, and I decided not to argue. We headed downstairs to join the others. I didn't know it then, but it would be the last time I ever visited the attic. **

"Very ominous," Frank noted.

**The senior counselors had gathered around the Ping-Pong table. **

Before Octavian could say anything, Percy said flatly, "Shut it."

**Don't ask me why, but the rec room had become the camp's informal headquarters for war councils. When Annabeth, Chiron, and I came in, though, it looked more like a shouting match. **

**Clarisse was still in full battle gear. Her electric spear was strapped to her back. (Actually, her **_**second**_** electric spear, since I'd broken the first one. She called the spear "Maimer." Behind her back, everybody else called it "Lamer.")**

Frank looked slightly disgusted. "Seriously? I can't believe I'm related to these people!"

**She had her boar-shaped helmet under one arm and a knife at her belt. **

**She was in the midst of yelling at Michael Yew, the new head counsellor for Apollo, which looked kind of funny since Clarisse was a foot taller. Michael had taken over the Apollo cabin after Lee Fletcher died in battle last summer. Michael stood four feet six, with another two feet of attitude. He reminded me of a ferret, with a pointy nose and scrunched-up features-either because he scowled so much or because he spent too much time looking down the shaft of an arrow. **

Hazel started laughing at the description, but immediately stopped, her face slightly pink in embarrassment.

**"It's **_**our**_** loot!" he yelled, standing on his tiptoes so he could get in Clarisse's face. "If you don't like it, you can kiss my quiver!" Around the table, people were trying not to laugh-the Stoll brothers, Pollux from the Dionysus cabin, Katie Gardner from Demeter.**

Everyone in the room-minus Octavian- started to laugh.

**Even Jake Mason, the hastily appointed new counselor from Hephaestus, managed a faint smile. Only Silena Beauregard didn't pay any attention. She sat beside Clarisse and stared vacantly at the Ping Pong net. Her eyes were red and puffy. A cup of hot chocolate sat untouched in front of her. It seemed unfair that she had to be here. I couldn't believe Clarisse and Michael standing over her, arguing about something as stupid as loot, when she'd just lost Beckendorf. **

"How rude of Clarisse, they should've sent someone else to the meeting so she could grieve," Piper said sadly.

**"STOP IT!" I yelled. "What are you guys doing?" Clarisse glowered at me. "Tell Michael not to be a selfish jerk." **

**"Oh, that's perfect, coming from you," Michael said. **

**"The only reason I'm here is to support Silena!" Clarisse shouted. "Otherwise I'd be back in my cabin." **

"You aren't doing a good job of that," Leo noted.

"You do know that you're talking to a book," Percy laughed.

Grinning, Leo replied, "You know what? You're all right water boy."

**"What are you talking about?" I demanded. **

**Pollux cleared his throat. "Clarisse has refused to speak to any of us, until her, um, issue is resolved. She hasn't spoken for three days." **

**"It's been wonderful," Travis Stoll said wistfully. **

Jason, Percy, and Leo started to laugh.

**"What issue?" I asked. **

**Clarisse turned to Chiron. "You're in charge, right? Does my cabin get what we want or not?" **

**Chiron shuffled his hooves. "My dear, as I've already explained, Michael is correct. Apollo's cabin has the best claim. Besides, we have more important matters-" **

**"Sure," Clarisse snapped. "Always more important matters than what Ares needs. We're just supposed to show up and light when you need us, and not complain!" **

**"That would be nice," Connor Stoll muttered. **

"I like Connor, he's hilarious!"

**Clarisse gripped her knife. "Maybe I should ask Mr. D-" **

**"As you know," Chiron interrupted, his tone slightly angry now, "our director, Dionysus, is busy with the war. He can't be bothered with this." **

**"I see," Clarisse said. "And the senior counselors? Are **_**any**_** of you going to side with me?" **

"Nope," Octavian said, receiving surprised looks from the others.

**Nobody was smiling now. None of them met Clarisse's eyes. **

**"Fine." Clarisse turned to Silena. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get into this when you've just lost . . . Anyway, I apologize. To **_**you.**_** Nobody else." **

**Silena didn't seem to register her words. **

**Clarisse threw her knife on the Ping-Pong table. "All of you can fight this war without Ares. Until I get satisfaction, no one in my cabin is lifting a finger to help. Have fun dying."**

"What a baby," Piper said, frowning.

**The counselors were all too stunned to say anything as Clarisse stormed out of the room. **

**Finally Michael Yew said, "Good riddance." **

**"Are you kidding?" Katie Gardner protested. "This is a disaster!" **

**"She can't be serious," Travis said. "Can she?" **

**Chiron sighed. "Her pride has been wounded. She'll calm down eventually." But he didn't sound convinced. **

Percy sighed. "Ya, that was about as likely as Egyptian gods running around."

**I wanted to ask what the heck Clarisse was so mad about, but I looked at Annabeth and she mouthed the words **_**I'll tell you later. **_

**"Now," Chiron continued, "if you please, counselors. Percy has brought something I think you should hear. Percy- the Great Prophecy." **

**Annabeth handed me the parchment. It felt dry and old, and my fingers fumbled with the string.**

"Finally, we can hear this crazy prophecy you guys keep talking about," Frank said.

**I uncurled the paper, trying not to rip it, and began to read:**

_**"A half-blood of the eldest dogs . . ." **_

"Uh, I think you meant gods," Piper suggested.

Leo chuckled. "Pfft, could you imagine a prophecy about dogs?"

**"Er, Percy?" Annabeth interrupted. "That's **_**gods. **_**Not **_**dogs**_**." **

"Great minds think alike," Percy joked.

**"Oh, right," I said. Being dyslexic is one mark of a demigod, but sometimes I really hate it. The more nervous I am, the worse my reading gets. **_**"A half-blood of the eldest gods . . . shall reach sixteen against all odds . . ."**_

"Wait a second," Octavian abruptly said. "This is the prophecy you asked me about?"

"Just be quiet Octavian," Percy ordered.

**I hesitated, staring at the next lines. A cold feeling started in my fingers as if the paper was freezing. **

_**"And see the world in endless sleep, **_

_**The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap." **_

The room suddenly became colder, and everyone turned more serious.

**Suddenly Riptide seemed heavier in my pocket. A cursed blade? Chiron once told me Riptide had brought many people sorrow. Was it possible my own sword could get me killed? And how could the world fall into endless sleep, unless that meant death? **

"Ugh, too many questions," Leo groaned. "It's making my brain hurt."

"Welcome to my world," Percy replied, grinning.

**"Percy," Chiron urged. "Read the rest." My mouth felt like it was full of sand, but I spoke the last two lines. **

_**"A single choice shall. . . shall end his days. Olympus to per**_**- **_**pursue**_**-" **

_**"Preserve," **_**Annabeth said gently. "It means **_**to save. **_**" **

**"I know what it means," I grumbled. **_**"Olympus to preserve or raze." **_

**The room was silent. Finally Connor Stoll said, "Raise is good, isn't it?" **

"It's r-a-_z_-e, which means to destroy," Hazel said quietly.

**"Not **_**raise, **_**"Silena said. Her voice was hollow, but I was startled to hear her speak at all. "R-a-z-e means **_**destroy. **_**" **

**"Obliterate," Annabeth said. "Annihilate. Turn to rubble." **

**"Got it." My heart felt like lead. "Thanks." **

"Geez, Annabeth. You're really positive."

"Uh, I didn't know that I was freaking Percy out," Annabeth replied to Leo, frowning.

**Everybody was looking at me-with concern, or pity, or maybe a little fear.** **Chiron closed his eyes as if he were saying a prayer. In horse form, his head almost brushed the lights in the rec room. "You see now, Percy, why we thought it best not to tell you the whole prophecy. You've had enough on your shoulders-" **

**"Without realizing I was going to die in the end anyway?" I said. "Yeah, I get it." **

**Chiron gazed at me sadly. The guy was three thousand years old. He'd seen hundreds of heroes die. He might not like it, but he was used to it. He probably knew better than to try to reassure me. **

**"Percy," Annabeth said. "You know prophecies always have double meanings. It might not literally mean you die." **

**"Sure," I said. **_**"A single choice shall end his days. **_**That has tons of meanings, right?" **

"I was trying to be optimistic," Annabeth explained.

"That or you didn't want to believe that I would die," Percy replied, smirking.

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain."

**"Maybe we can stop it," Jake Mason offered. **_**"The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. **_**Maybe we could find this cursed blade and destroy it. Sounds like Kronos's scythe, right?" **

"Well, at least he tried to be helpful," Hazel offered.

Octavian made a face at her, but remained quiet.

**I hadn't thought about that, but it didn't matter if the cursed blade was Riptide or Kronos's scythe. Either way, I doubted we could stop the prophecy. A blade was supposed to reap my soul. As a general rule, I preferred not to have my soul reaped. **

**"Perhaps we should let Percy think about these lines," Chiron said. "He needs time-" **

**"No." I folded up the prophecy and shoved it into my pocket. I felt defiant and angry, though I wasn't sure who I was angry with. "I don't need time. If I die, I die. I can't worry about that, right?"**

"Wow, that's really brave," Jason said, impressed.

**Annabeth's hands were shaking a little. She wouldn't meet my eyes.**

"Ha, so you _were _worried about me," Percy gloated.

Leaning over, Annabeth gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, saying, "Okay, yeah, I was."

**"Let's move on," I said. "We've got other problems. We've got a spy." **

**Michael Yew scowled. "A spy?" **

**I told them what had happened on the **_**Princess Andromeda**_**-how Kronos had known we were coming, how he'd shown me the silver scythe pendant he'd used to communicate with someone at camp. Silena started to cry again, and Annabeth put an arm around her shoulders. **

_Poor Silena_, Annabeth thought, frowning.

**"Well," Connor Stoll said uncomfortably, "we've suspected there might a spy for years, right? Somebody kept passing information to Luke-like the location of the Golden Fleece a couple of years ago. It must be somebody who knew him well." Maybe subconsciously, he glanced at Annabeth. She'd known Luke better than anyone, of course, but Connor looked away quickly. **

**"Um, I mean, it could be anybody." **

**"Yes." Katie Gardner frowned at the Stoll brothers. She'd disliked them ever since they'd decorated the grass roof of the Demeter cabin with chocolate Easter bunnies. "Like one of Luke's siblings." **

"This is going to tear apart the camp," Jason said, frowning.

"Oh, who cares? If they killed each other, we wouldn't have to deal with these _graecus_," Octavian spat.

This time, Percy had to keep Annabeth from beating up Octavian.

**Travis and Connor both started arguing with her. **

**"Stop!" Silena banged the table so hard her hot chocolate spilled. "Charlie's dead and . . . and you're all arguing like little kids!" She put her head down and began to sob. **

Hazel felt really bad for Silena. _Poor thing, _she thought sadly.

**Hot chocolate trickled off the Ping-Pong table. Everybody looked ashamed. **

"Good," Piper said, crossing her arms.

**"She's right," Pollux said at last. "Accusing each other doesn't help. We need to keep our eyes open for a silver necklace with a scythe charm. If Kronos had one, the spy probably does too." Michael Yew grunted. "We need to find this spy before we plan our next operation. Blowing up the **_**Princess Andromeda**_** won't stop Kronos forever." **

**"No indeed," Chiron said. "In fact his next assault is already on the way." **

**I scowled. "You mean the 'bigger threat' Poseidon mentioned?" He and Annabeth looked at each other like, **_**It's time.**_

"Gods, I really _really _hate that," Percy complained.__

**Did I mention I hate it when they do that? **

The others started to laugh a lot, Percy chuckling himself.

**"Percy," Chiron said, "we didn't want to tell you until you returned to camp. You needed a break with your . . . mortal friends."**

**Annabeth blushed. It dawned on me that she knew I'd been hanging out with Rachel, and I felt guilty. Then I felt angry that I felt guilty. I was allowed to have friends outside camp, right? It wasn't like . . . **

"…We were dating?" Annabeth asked, raising a brow.

"Er, yeah. Nice to know you liked me back then, though."

"Why would you think that?"

**"Tell me what's happened," I said. **

**Chiron picked up a bronze goblet from the snack table. He tossed water onto the hot plate where we usually melted nacho cheese. Steam billowed up, making a rainbow in the fluorescent lights. Chiron fished a golden drachma out of his pouch, tossed it through the mist, and muttered, "O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show us the threat." **

**The mist shimmered. I saw the familiar image of a smoldering volcano-Mount St. Helens. As I watched, the side of the mountain exploded. Fire, ash, and lava rolled out. A newscaster's voice was saying **_**" **_**- **_**even larger than last year's eruption, and geologists warn that the mountain may not be done." **_

"Nice one, Percy," Leo sighed. He was busy playing with a few screws and washers, keeping his fingers busy. He wasn't used to sitting still for so long.

**I knew all about last year's eruption. I'd caused it. But this explosion was much worse. The mountain tore itself apart, collapsing inward, and an enormous form rose out of the smoke and lava like it was emerging from a manhole. I hoped the Mist would keep the humans from seeing it clearly, because what I saw would've caused panic and riots across the entire United States. The giant was bigger than anything I'd ever encountered. Even my demigod eyes couldn't make out its exact form through the ash and fire, but it was vaguely humanoid and so huge it could've used the Chrysler Building as a baseball bat. The mountain shook with a horrible rumbling, as if the monster were laughing. **

"Woah, how did we not know about this?" Jason demanded. "It was right in our territory!"

"Well, I kinda woke it up, so it would be my responsibility to get rid of it," Percy explained.

"That, and you didn't want to look like a coward," Octavian commented.

"Shut it, Octavian," Jason and Percy said simultaneously.

**"It's him," I said. "Typhon." **

**I was seriously hoping Chiron would say something good, like **_**No, that's our huge friend Leroy! He's going to help us! **_

"Ya, that would be nice," Leo said dreamily.

**But no such luck. He simply nodded. "The most horrible monster of all, the biggest single threat the gods ever faced. He has been freed from under the mountain at last. But this scene is from two days ago. **_**Here**_** is what is happening today." **

**Chiron waved his hand and the image changed. I saw a bank of storm clouds rolling across the Midwest plains. Lightning flickered. Lines of tornadoes destroyed everything in their path-ripping up houses and trailers, tossing cars around like Matchbox toys. **

"And it gets worse..." Nico trailed off.

_**"Monumental floods," **_**an announcer was saying. **_**"Five states declared disaster areas as the freak storm system sweeps east, continuing its path of destruction." **_

**The cameras zoomed in on a column of storm bearing down on some Midwest city. I couldn't tell which one. Inside the storm I could see the giant-just small glimpses of his true form: a smoky arm, a dark clawed hand the size of a city block. His angry roar rolled across the plains like a nuclear blast. Other smaller forms darted through the clouds, circling the monster. I saw flashes of light, and I realized the giant was trying to swat them. I squinted and thought I saw a golden chariot flying into the blackness. Then some kind of huge bird-a monstrous owl-dived in to attack the giant. **

"Minerva—er, Athena?" Hazel asked.

"Yep, that's my mother."

**"Are those . . . the gods?" I said. **

**"Yes, Percy," Chiron said. "They have been fighting him for days now, trying to slow him down. But Typhon is marching forward- toward New York. Toward Olympus." **

**I let that sink in. "How long until he gets here?" **

**"Unless the gods can stop him? Perhaps five days. Most of the Olympians are there . . . except your father, who has a war of his own to fight." **

**"But then who's guarding Olympus?" **

**Connor Stoll shook his head. "If Typhon gets to New York, it won't matter who's guarding Olympus." **

"Wow, he actually said something smart, I didn't think that was possible," Piper said, surprised.

**I thought about Kronos's words on the ship: **_**I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus.**_** Was this what he was talking about: an attack by Typhon? It was sure terrifying enough. But Kronos was always fooling us, misdirecting our attention. This seemed too obvious for him.**

"Wow, smart idea, it _did _seem too forward for him," Octavian said, receiving surprised looks. "What?"

**And in my dream, the golden Titan had talked about several more challenges to come, as if Typhon were only the first. **

**"It's a trick," I said. "We have to warn the gods. Something else is going to happen." **

**Chiron looked at me gravely. "Something worse than Typhon? I hope not." **

**"We have to defend Olympus," I insisted. "Kronos has another attack planned." **

**"He did," Travis Stoll reminded me. "But you sunk his ship." Everyone was looking at me. They wanted some good news. They wanted to believe that at least I'd given them a little bit of hope. I glanced at Annabeth. I could tell we were thinking the same thing: What if the **_**Princess Andromeda**_** was a ploy? What if Kronos **_**let**_** us blow up that ship so we'd lower our guard? **

"Then that would be really sad since Beckendorf died for nothing," Piper said, a sad look on her face.

**But I wasn't going to say that in front of Silena. Her boyfriend had sacrificed himself for that mission. **

"Guess I agree with you," Percy replied.

**"Maybe you're right," I said, though I didn't believe it. I tried to imagine how things could get much worse. The gods were in the Midwest fighting a huge monster that had almost defeated them once before. Poseidon was under siege and losing a war against the sea Titan Oceanus. Kronos was still out there somewhere. Olympus was virtually undefended. The demigods of Camp HalfBlood were on our own with a spy in our midst. Oh, and according to the ancient prophecy, I was going to die when I turned sixteen-which happened to be in five days, the exact same time Typhon was supposed to hit New York. Almost forgot that.**

Leo chuckled. "Of course you would forget something like that."

**"Well," Chiron said, "I think that's enough for one night." He waved his hand and the steam dissipated. The stormy battle of Typhon and the gods disappeared. **

**"That's an understatement," I muttered. **

**And the war council adjourned. **

Everyone besides Octavian didn't realize that they were holding their breaths.

"Wow… that was dramatic," Piper said, surprised.

Percy smirked. "Yeah, try having to deal with that for almost a week."

Octavian starting to rise from his seat, pretending to yawn and stretch. "Well, I believe I should return to my duty as augur. This well… was interesting. Goodbye!"

"Hold it," Annabeth said, rising from her seat and standing in front of the door. "You're still being held for questioning until Reyna comes back, so until then, you're going to stay here and listen."

Shooting a glare at Annabeth, Octavian slunk back to his chair, crossing his arms.

"Well, I guess it's onto the next chapter."

**A/N: Well another chapter finished! Guess it was pretty obvious who the mystery guy was, but oh well! Anyway, appreciate all of the positive feedback, follows, and favorites. I never thought this would be so popular! Well, peace off, Brofist, and To Pigfarts!**


	6. ANOTHER Author's Note

Yet ANOTHER Author's Note:

Hey guys, long time no see and sorry for getting everyone's hopes up on a new chapter. I took a break for PJO for a while to focus on school and sports. Well, I might be visiting Rome and Italy next summer and I got to see Darren Criss in concert on the 31, and once I saw the House of Hades cover, I quickly got back into things. I'm hoping that through June to August I might be able to put up a couple chapters for the story, but I'm going to be extremely busy. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I just want to thank everyone who's reviewed, put me on story alert or favorited. I really appreciate it and gives my incentive to try working on this story whenever I can. Hope to see you all soon!


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